Conflicting Reports of Reason for U.S. Raid in Yemen
In an audio message released on Sunday, February 5th the head of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Qasim al-Raymi (also known as Qassim al-Rimi), responded to the recent clandestine mission in Yemen and urged his followers to “take on” the United States.
In this message, al-Raymi told his follwers to “Burn the land beneath their feet and make them hear the whispers of Satan,” and continued on to taunt President Trump. “The fool of the White House got slapped at the beginning of his road in your lands,” the message said.
Military and intelligence officials told NBC news on February 7th that Al-Raymi was the target of the U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 raid in the al Bayda province of central Yemen, Saturday, January 28th.
U.S. Military Officials initially stated that the hope when deploying the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 was to extract cell phones and laptops that would provide valuable intel on AQAP’s operations and any plans .
A senior military official also told CNN that Qasim al-Raymi was the target of the mission. The US military believed, according to the source, that even if al-Raymi was not at the home they could still find intelligence that would help lead them to him. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) denies this and says that this was not a high-value target mission. The senior military official emphasized that green-lighting the mission was not dependent on al-Raymi being there.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer denied that al-Raymi was the target of the raid in his February 7th briefing. “The raid that was conducted in Yemen was an intelligence gathering raid… It was highly successful and achieved the purpose it was going to get.” He emphasized that the only object of the raid was to gather intelligence.
Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, also denied the claim that al-Raymi was the target of the raid. He told the Washington Examiner, “I can tell you it’s not true… there was never any intention, hope, anticipation, or plan [that al-Raymi] would be a part of this operation.”
This mission’s package was bigger than any other counterterrorism strike since the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. Two dozen SEALs, 30 to 40 other American troops on the ground and in the air, six Yemeni soldiers, and twelve UAE commandos were all a part of this mission. The opportunity to take out such a high-value target would explain the large allocation of resources and why there were boots on the ground in an area where drone strikes have traditionally been favored.
Local residents reported that the raid began after dusk when a drone bombed the home of suspected senior al Qaeda leader, Abdul Rauf al-Dhahab – step-brother of Anwar al-Awlaki, the target of a drone strike in 2011 – and lasted until dawn. AQAP reported that 16 missiles were fired at three different homes from four different helicopters.
CENTCOM released a statement the day after the raid reporting, “The operation resulted in an estimated 14 AQAP members being killed and the capture of information that will likely provide insight into the planning of future terror plots.” Navy commando, Chief Special Warfare Operator William “Ryan” Owens also was killed in the raid.
AQAP fighters were apparently tipped off to the raid and ready when the SEALs landed. When they arrived at the home they found themselves in a reinforced Al Qaeda base defended by landmines and snipers. Senior intelligence officials believe that a barking dog, drone crash, or radio chatter alerted the home’s occupants to their presence. Earlier reports suggested that the mission could have been given away by drones flying lower than normal near the compound.
The operatives were met with heavy fire as Al Qaeda fighters took positions in homes, a school, and a mosque, using women and children as cover. The commandos were caught off guard when some of the women grabbed guns and began firing from pre-established positions suggesting they may also have been trained combatants.
U.S. Military officials believe that the raid was successful in disrupting the normal operations of that cell and gathering valuable intel on their activities and plans. Until now, U.S. military has had limited access to AQAP terror sites on the ground. The new intelligence will allow the U.S. to better map out AQAP.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is considered one of al Qaeda’s most dangerous branches, having taken advantage of the chaos of the current civil war in Yemen to establish substantial strongholds. In January of 2015, Remembering January of 2015, AQAP targeted and financed the attack on the offices of satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing twelve. The group is also connected to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing.
If al-Raymi was indeed the target of the mission, it is unclear whether he simply managed to escape, was tipped off that forces were coming, or just happened to be at another location, but al-Raymi remains alive and in Yemen, according to multiple military officials and his audio message. U.S. military officials and the White House maintain that the mission was a success and that the intelligence will be invaluable in fighting AQAP.
