Trump confirms the US killed Qassim al-Raymi in an operation in Yemen.

Elad Benari, 07/02/20 01:36

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that the United States killed Qassim al-Raymi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Reuters reports.

Raymi was eliminated in a counterterrorism operation in Yemen, according to Trump’s announcement.

“Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces,” he said in a statement.

“His death further degrades AQAP and the global Al-Qaeda movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security,” added Trump.

He did not say when Raymi was killed, but reports that he was eliminated by the US first surfaced a week ago.

AQAP has carried out many terrorist attacks in Yemen in recent years and has also targeted the West.

Just this week, AQAP claimed the December attack at a US naval base in Pensacola, Florida, though it provided no evidence.

In 2015, the group claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris and then called for “lone wolf attacks” against Western targets.

The previous leader of AQAP, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, was killed in an American air strike in June of 2015.