Al-Qaeda in Yemen run by capable states, former operative claims

RIYADH, March 28 (Saba) – Mohammed Ateeq al-Aufi al-Harbi, an
al-Qaeda leader who was earlier handed over to Saudis after he
handed himself in to Yemeni authorities, has said that al-Qaeda in
Yemen has links to Iranian intelligence services and Houthi rebels
in Saada.

In his confessions aired by the Alarabiya channel, al-Aufi said
al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen are run by intelligence apparatuses of
capable governments which administer them in the name of Mujahedeen
targeting Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

" We receive money from these governments through Mujahedeen," he
said, adding Houthis came to us once and offered us money and
logistic support and then I, in my capacity as a filed commander of
al-Qaeda in Yemen, started to understand that our group is
administered by countries.. but not youth as we learnt.

We realized there was a delusive administration for us, he went on.

He revealed al-Qaeda new plans to attack foreign targets and oil
facilities in Yemen and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"Al-Qaeda in Yemen became stronger after we, Saudi al-Qaeda
branches, came to the country and merged with those colleagues in
Yemen," he said.

"Al-Qaeda in Yemen was not effective but when Saudi al-Qaeda members
arrived in the country a real al-Qaeda network started to take
shape, he added.

After the merge, we formed a shoura council and named a leader, a
deputy leader, a military and a media officers."

I led about 250 followers that were organized in military brigades
operating according to war plans.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen, which was said recently to have taken shape by
the merge of members in Yemen and the kingdom under the name of
al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula with a new leadership declared
earlier last month, chose Nasser al-Wuhaishi as leader and started
to implement their strategy disseminating misinformation and
carrying out terrorist attacks in the two countries.

They take advantage of strategic mountainous locations at which new
members can join the group to fight as gorillas.

Among his confessions, al-Aufi said his surrender came after he
differed with the new leadership over expiatory fatwas against
people and countries, urging the rest members to come back to the
right path and give themselves up to authorities.

On February 17, Yemen extradited al-Aufi to Saudi authorities,
twenty days after he had surrendered to Yemeni authorities in Shabwa
province.

Earlier, al-Qaeda announced a new leadership for its branches in the
Arabian Peninsula.

Yemen and Saudi Arabia in 2003 inked an extradition deal and vowed
to boost coordination and security cooperation to defeat al-Qaeda
targeting the two neighbor countries.

FR