Al-Qaida’s Yemen branch says leader Khalid al-Batarfi dead in unclear circumstances

By AHMED AL-HAJ and JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The leader of Yemen’s branch of al-Qaida is dead. The militant group made the announcement late Sunday, without giving details. Khalid al-Batarfi had a $5 million bounty on his head from the U.S. government over leading the group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, long considered the most-dangerous branch of the extremist group still operating after the killing of founder Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaida released a video showing al-Batarfi wrapped in a funeral shroud of the al-Qaida black-and-white flag. It offered no details on the cause of his death and there was no clear sign of trauma visible on his face. Al-Batarfi is believed to be in his early 40s.