Inside Story

Al Qaeda in Yemen: can it be defeated?

The Yemeni government has carried out a major attack against the group.

A number of fighters were killed in a remote mountain region in southern Yemen in a series of attacks against the group, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The government in Yemen has launched a crackdown against the AQAP, which attacks military targets, tourists and diplomats in the country.

The US considers Yemen’s branch of Al Qaeda to be the most dangerous in the world. The group is blamed for a number of unsuccessful bomb plots against Americans. They include an attempt to bring down a US-bound airliner using explosives hidden in the bomber’s underwear, and a plot to send mail bombs hidden in toner cartridges on planes headed to the US.

Neighbouring Saudi Arabia is watching the fight against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula with growing concern. The Saudi interior minister, Mohammed Bin Nayed, in 2009 escaped an AQAP assassination attempt.

So, how much of a threat are the fighters who belong to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula?

Presenter: Mike Hanna

Guests: 

Hakim Almasmari, editor in chief of the Yemen Post

Riad Kahwaji, a military analyst, founder and CEO of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis

Mohamed Qubaty, a former ambassador and spokesman for the opposition group, the Yemeni National Council