New leader for Al-Qaedas infamous but struggling Yemen branch

DUBAI, Mar 27: Saad al-Awlaki has taken the helm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula after the death its former leader, looking to unite the extremist group and change course after a steep decline.

Based in war-torn Yemens south, AQAP is considered by Washington as the Sunni Muslim Al-Qaeda networks most dangerous branch.

It has claimed numerous high-profile attacks in the United States and Europe, including the 2015 assault on Charlie Hebdo magazine in Frances capital that killed 12 people, but these have dropped in recent years. AQAP announced earlier this month that Awlaki had succeeded Khalid Batarfi, who died after a long illness, according to Yemeni sources close to the group. Like other sources AFP has spoken to, they requested anonymity to discuss the extremist group. —AFP