Khalid Batarfi
| Khalid Saeed Batarfi | |
|---|---|
 Khalid Batarfi appearing in an AQAP video. | |
| Nationality | Yemeni |
| Other names | Abū al-Miqdād al-Kindī, Abū al-Miqdād al-Kanadī |
| Known for | Senior military commander in AQAP |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 AQAP (2009–present) |
| Years of service | 2009-present |
| Rank |
Supreme Commander(Emir) of Abyan (2015–present) |
| Battles/wars | |
Khalid Saeed Batarfi, (Arabic: خالد سعيد باطرفي), also known as Abū al-Miqdād al-Kindī (Arabic: أبو مقداد الكِنْدِي),[1] is a Saudi Arabian militant and a senior member of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.[2] He oversaw the Yemen-based group's media network[3] and led jihadist fighters in their takeover of Yemen's Abyan Governorate in 2011, where he was accorded the position of emir.[4][5] He also reputedly carried out terrorist attacks in the Abyan and Hadhramaut governorates.[3]
On 17 March 2011, Batarfi was captured by security forces in the Taiz Governorate.[3] For four years, he was imprisoned in Mukalla. He was freed, along with about 300 other inmates, by al Qaeda fighters on 2 April 2015, during the Battle of Mukalla.[2][5][6] The Washington Post compared the Mukalla prison break to the escape of 23 fighters, including future AQAP emir Nasir al-Wuhayshi, from a Saudi prison in 2006, a formative event for the group.[7]
Batarfi attracted media attention when he posed for photographs taken by al Qaeda members in the Hadhramaut governor's palace, which fighters took over.[5][8]
References
- ↑ Fighting Back: What Governments Can Do About Terrorism edited by Paul Shemella
- 1 2 "Officials: Al Qaeda fighters free 270 from Yemeni prison". CNN. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Three militants, three soldiers killed in Yemen". CNN. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ "Amid Yemen chaos, al Qaeda stages prison break". CBS News. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 Spencer, Richard (4 April 2015). "The al-Qaeda commander at home in a governor's palace". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ Bacchi, Umberto (2 April 2015). "Yemen: Al-Qaeda frees 300 in al-Mukalla prison attack". International Business Times. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ↑ Miller, Greg (5 April 2015). "Al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen exploits chaos to rebuild, officials say". Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ↑ Bacchi, Umberto (4 April 2015). "Yemen: Al-Qaeda operative Khalid Batarfi takes selfies inside Mukalla government". International Business Times. Retrieved 9 April 2015.