Yemen tribal leaders say senior Al-Qaeda leader killed in Marib clash

Yemeni security member stand guard in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. (AFP file photo)

SANAA: A senior Al-Qaeda leader was killed in Yemen’s central province of Marib, officials and tribal leaders said on Saturday.
Ghalib Al-Zaidi’s death came a week ago in an exchange of fire during clashes with the Houthis, in the Sirwah district of Marib, they told The Associated Press.
The officials and elders told the AP that Al-Zaidi had dozens of Al-Qaeda operatives under his command and had taken part in several battles in the province.
In 2017, Al-Zaidi was placed on the UN Security Council’s sanctions list as a Yemen-based individual “who acts for or on behalf of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).”
The UN found him to be providing the Yemeni affiliate of the global terror network with weapons, funding, and recruits.
Al-Zaidi was also found to have helped AQAP to expand its control in parts of Marib.
Al-Zaidi had been the group’s leader in the province since 2015.
The Arab coalition has been at war with the Iran-allied Houthis for more than three years.
Al-Qaeda and a Daesh affiliate have exploited the chaos to expand their presence in the country.
AQAP is considered the most dangerous branch of the terror network and had attempted attacks on US soil.