Nasir al-Wuhayshi

Nasir Abdel Karim al-Wuhayshi
Nasir seen in fully white clothes
Nickname	Abu Basir
Born	Yemen[citation needed]
Allegiance	Al-Qaeda
Service/branch	Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Rank	Emir
Battles/wars	Battle of Tora Bora, Yemeni al-Qaeda crackdown

Nasir Abdel Karim al-Wuhayshi (also transliterated as Naser al-Wahishi), alias Abu Basir,^[1] was a citizen of Yemen and a senior leader of Islamist militant group Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).^[2][3][4] He once served as Osama bin Laden's secretary^[5][6] and presided over the January 2009 merger of the Saudi Arabian and Yemeni splinters of Al Qaeda into AQAP.^[1] Ayman Al-Zawahiri confirmed al-Wahayshi's appointment as leader of AQAP in a video posted online.^[7] Both Saudi Arabia and Yemen consider the militant leader to be among their most wanted fugitives.^[7][8]

Nasir al-Wuhayshi served as a private secretary to Osama bin Laden for years in Afghanistan. He left Afghanistan in 2001 and was soon arrested by Iranian authorities, who handed him over to his native Yemen two years later where he was imprisoned without charges.^[9] In February 2006 Nasir al-Wuhayshi was one of 23 Yemeni captives who escaped from custody from a maximum security prison in Sana'a.^{[1][5][6][10]}

Al-Wuhayshi became the leader of Al-Qaeda's Yemeni operations after the former leader was killed in a US Predator drone strike in 2002.^[6] His authority seems to derive mostly from his long proximity to Osama bin Laden.^[9]

Nasir al-Wuhayshi and three other men appeared in several threatening videos released in January 2009.^[11] Al Wuhayshi published an additional video calling for violence in February.^[12] He claimed the increase in western warships off the Horn of Africa to fight piracy were really intended to oppress Islam.^[13] According to Yemeni military officials he was killed in southern Yemen on August 28, 2011.^[14] On Oct. 25, 2011 AQAP denied that he was killed.^[15]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} El Deeb, Sarah (2009-12-29). "Inspired by bin Laden, Al-Qaida in Arabian Peninsula seeks to expand operations beyond Yemen". The Canadian Press (The Canadian Press). http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5g1UTDynDE1FE3Zpk15QvuE3ihZzA. Retrieved 2009-12-29. 
2. ^ Gregory D. Johnsen (2007-11-09). "Al Qaeda's generational split". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/11/09/al_qaedas_generational_split/. Retrieved 2009-01-26.  mirror
3. ^ "2 tourists dead in attack in Yemen". International Herald Tribune. 2008-01-18. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/18/africa/ME-GEN-Yemen-Attack.php. Retrieved 2008-01-18. 
4. ^ Thomas Hegghammer (2009-01-24). "Saudi and Yemeni Branches of al-Qaida Unite". Jihadica. http://www.jihadica.com/saudi-and-yemeni-branches-of-al-qaida-unite/. Retrieved 2009-01-26.  mirror
5. ^ ^{a b} Raghavan, Sudarsan (2009-12-28). "Al-Qaeda group in Yemen gaining prominence". Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/27/AR2009122702022.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2009122701730. Retrieved 2009-12-28. 
6. ^ ^{a b c} Black, Ian (2008-07-30). "Yemen terrorism: Soft approach to jihadists starts to backfire as poverty fuels extremism". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/30/yemen.alqaida. Retrieved 2010-05-19. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula". Al Jazeera. 2009-12-29. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/12/2009122935812371810.html. Retrieved 2009-12-30. 
8. ^ Michael, Maggie; Ahmed al-Haj (2009). "Report: Ex-Gitmo Detainee Joins Al-Qaida in Yemen". ABC News. The Associated Press (ABC News Internet Ventures). http://www.webcitation.org/5km1vyj1v. Retrieved 2009-12-30. "Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is an umbrella group of various cells. Its current leader is Yemen's most wanted fugitive Naser Abdel Karim al-Wahishi" 
9. ^ ^{a b} Robert F. Worth, "Is Yemen the Next Afghanistan?" New York Times (6 July 2010).
10. ^ Gregory D. Johnsen (2007-07-10). "Yemen Attack Reveals Struggle Among Al-Qaeda's Ranks". 4. Jamestown Foundation. http://www.webcitation.org/5e84GXo7f. Retrieved 2009-01-26.  mirror
11. ^ "Two ex-Guantanamo inmates appear in Al-Qaeda video". Agence France Presse. 2009-01-25. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hZfIcWnHqBz4kQR90lC_pXaHeW4Q. Retrieved 2009-01-26.  mirror
12. ^ "New al-Qaida message urges Yemenis to fight gov't". Associated Press. 2009-02-19. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jyZ4yhVqAu5yqaNFXVY9748IMsNwD96EKC980. Retrieved 2009-04-05.  mirror
13. ^ "Al-Qaeda leader urges Yemeni tribes to rise up against government". Earth Times. 2009-02-19. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/256566,al-qaeda-leader-urges-yemeni-tribes-to-rise-up-against-government.html. Retrieved 2009-03-05. "In an audiotape posted on Islamist web sites, al-Wahishi linked the clampdown on Jihadists in five desert provinces to the deployment of Western navy forces in the Gulf of Aden to fight piracy. "The parties have gathered in the land of faith and wisdom. French, British and Western crusaders, have come to the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden to surround the Island of Islam (Arabian Peninsula) from the sea," al-Wahishi said."  mirror
14. ^ Roggio, Bill (2011-08-28). "AQAP chief Nasir al Wuhayshi reported killed in southern Yemen Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/08/aqap_chief_nasir_al.php#ixzz1WWQVveH4". The Long War Journal. Public Multimedia Inc.. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/08/aqap_chief_nasir_al.php. Retrieved 2011-08-30. 
15. ^ Long War Journal 10/26/2011

Persondata
Name	Wuhayshi, Nasir
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	Yemen
Date of death	2011
Place of death