Ansar al-Sharia (Yemen)

Jama'at Ansar al-Shari'a (Arabic: جماعة أنصار الشريعة; Jamāʿat Anṣār aš-Šharīʿa), also known as Ansar al-Shari'a, is a Yemen-based umbrella organization which includes units from several militant Islamic groups of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).^[11] In 2011, AQAP created Ansar Al-Sharia as a Yemen-based affiliate focused on waging an insurgency rather than international attacks on the West.^[12] In the view of the International Crisis Group, AQAP is "an internally diverse organisation with varying layers of support among the local population" and many AAS members and allies are not committed to AQAP's international agenda.^[12]

جماعة أنصار الشريعة (Jamāʿat Anṣār aš-Šharīʿa) Partisans of Shari'a
Jihadist flag used by organization
Leaders	Nasir al-Wuhayshi † (2011–15)^[1] Qasim al-Raymi † (2015–20)^[2] Khalid Batarfi † (2020–24)^[3]
Dates of operation	2011–present
Headquarters	Mukalla, Hadhramaut (2015–2016)
Active regions	Yemen; Sana'a and the Abyan region: Zinjibar, Ja'ar, Shuqrah and surrounding areas.
Ideology	Qutbism^[4] Salafi jihadism Religious nationalism^[5]
Size	1,000–3000+^[6]^[7]
Part of	al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Allies	Al-Shabaab^[8] al-Qaeda
Opponents	State opponents  Yemen  United States^[9]  Saudi Arabia  United Arab Emirates Non-state opponents Houthis Southern Movement Islamic State – Yemen Province
Battles and wars	Yemeni insurgency Battle of Zinjibar Siege of Dammaj Battle of Dofas 2012 Abyan offensive 2012 Sana'a bombing 2013 Sana'a attack Yemeni Civil War Southern Yemen offensive (2015) Battle of Mukalla (2015) Abyan clashes (2016–present)
Designated as a terrorist group by	United Arab Emirates^[10]

After the Battle of Zinjibar (May–September 2011), the faction had taken control of some cities in southern Yemen in which it has instated emirates. Ansar ash-Shari'a have also claimed responsibility for the 2012 Sana'a bombing and the 2013 Sana'a attack.^[13] As of early 2017, AQAP and AAS were currently in a struggle for territorial control with the Houthi/Saleh forces in the governorates of al-Bayda, Shebwa, Marib, Jawf and Taiz.^[12]

On 4 October 2012, the United States Department of State amended its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations to designate Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen as an alias for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, rather than listing it as a separate organisation. On the same day, the group was also listed by the United Nations 1267/1989 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee.^[14] New Zealand^[15] also listed it as a terror group.^[16]

In February 2015, it was reported that some members had split from the group and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.^[17]

In January 2020, the group's leader Qasim al-Raymi, who also served as the leader of Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula, was killed in a U.S. airstrike.^[18]

References

1. Dana Ford (15 June 2015). "Top al Qaeda leader reported killed in Yemen". CNN. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
2. "Al Qaeda in Yemen says leader killed in U.S. bombing". Reuters. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
3. "AQAP confirms death of leader, appoints successor: SITE". news.yahoo.com.
4. "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
5. . Council on Foreign Relations. 19 March 2015. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
6. "Al-Qaeda map: Isis, Boko Haram and other affiliates' strongholds across Africa and Asia". 12 June 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
7. Eland, Ivan (2013). The Failure of Counterinsurgency: Why Hearts and Minds Are Seldom Won. ISBN 9781440830105. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
8. "Yemen bomb: Suicide bomber hit's military parade in Sanaa". GlobalPost. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
9. "AFP: Yémen: l'armée, aidée par les Etats-Unis, progresse face à Al-Qaïda". Retrieved 14 November 2013.
10. . Archived from the original on 17 November 2014.
11. Sudarsan Raghavan (22 February 2011). "Militants linked to al-Qaeda emboldened in Yemen". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
12. International Crisis Group (2 February 2017). Yemen's al-Qaeda: Expanding the Base. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
13. "Al-Qaeda claims deadly Yemen suicide blast – Middle East". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
14. "Terrorist Designations of Ansar al-Sharia as an Alias for Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula". Department of State. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
15. "Terrorism – New Zealand travel advice". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
16. Designated Entities 26-11-2014
17. "The War on ISIS". 26 February 2015.
18. "White House says U.S. Killed Qassim al-Rimi, leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen". NBC News.