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Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki

Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki () also known by the alias Abu Al-Laith, is a Yemeni militant and the current emir of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, succeeding Khalid Batarfi.

Life

Al-Awlaki was born in Al-Shu'bah in Wadi Yasbam in the Al-Saeed District in Shabwa Governorate from the al-Awlaki tribe in 1979.

Before his leadership of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, he was a member of AQAP's shura council.

The Yemeni military falsely claimed to have killed al-Awlaki on 7 May 2014, during their offensive in southern Yemen.

After the death of Khalid Batarfi, al-Awlaki was appointed as the new leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula through AQAP's media group, Al-Malahem Media, on March 11, 2024, which involved a statement reading by Abu Khubaib al-Sudani. Before al-Awlaki officially led the group, throughout 2019 till the death of Batarfi, he and al-Awlaki both led conflicting sectors of AQAP. According to the United Nations, this conflict was due to Batarfi's disliking for Southern Yemeni tribes and al-Awlaki's support for them.

The United States program, Rewards for Justice, put a USD$6 million bounty on al-Awlaki. This bounty was increased to $10 million in 2025.

References