THE WHITE HOUSE — The White House confirmed Thursday a counterterrorism operation killed Qasim al-Rimi, a founder and the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
In a statement, the White House said al-Rimi was killed in Yemen, but did not say when the strike took place.
The statement said al-Rimi's death "further degrades AQAP" as well as the global al Qaeda movement.
At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation in Yemen that successfully eliminated Qasim al-Rimi, a founder and the leader of al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and a deputy to al-Qa’ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Rimi joined al-Qa’ida in the 1990s, working in Afghanistan for Osama bin Laden. Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces. His death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qa’ida movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security. The United States, our interests, and our allies are safer as a result of his death. We will continue to protect the American people by tracking down and eliminating terrorists who seek to do us harm.
The White House
