If anyone was ever in doubt of al-Qaeda’s pull and reach in Yemen, a recent video dated March 2014 uploaded online should suffice to convince any sceptic of the tangible and very real threat posed by the terror group.
The 15 minutes videos which was uploaded on several Islamists websites according to the US Defence Department features a very defiant Nasser al-Wuhaishi, the Commander of al-Qaeda Yemen, speaking to a large gathering of terror militants and sympathizers somewhere in Yemen.
While the authenticity of the video has yet be confirmed, several security experts well-versed in everything al-Qaeda have said they were fairly confident the uploading was indeed real.
At a time when the US and Yemen have stepped up their air raids against al-Qaeda, such video clearly seeks not only to undermine the credibility of Sana’a-Washington counter-terror strategy but to somewhat affirm the inevitability of its advances in Yemen.
Keen to portray itself as God’s freedom fighters, a force which no army will or can defeat, al-Qaeda quite clearly aimed to send a message to the people of Yemen by proclaiming their cause to be righteous.
Standing under the black flag of al-Qaeda hundreds of militants can be seen listening to al-Wuhaishi’s address, fully armed.
"The Crusader enemy, dear brothers, still possesses cards which he moves around. We have to remember that we are always fighting the biggest enemy … We have to remove the cross, (and) the bearer of the cross, America," al-Wuhaishi told his men.
Unmasked and exposed in full view, al-Wuhaishi quite clearly sought to send a message to the US, taunting almost his enemies to come and get him if they could.
The video which is said to feature the victorious return of terror militants following their escape from Sana’a Central Security prison cannot be understood as anything else than a promotional propaganda material, a clear sign that the group understands the importance of psychological warfare.
While the US has been keen to play down statements from experts that al-Qaeda has significantly grown in strength, Marie Harf, a US State Department spokeswoman noted, “In no way breaking news that AQAP is a significant threat to the United States, the people of Yemen, to other people in the region and around the world.” She added, “I don't think we can make generalizations about their strength based on one video, quite frankly. We know they've been gaining in strength. ... So, I don't think this increases our concern, because quite frankly, our concern was already incredibly high."
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