Yemeni al-Qaeda Urges Strikes on US in Retaliation for Iraq War

AQAP Statement Declares Support for ISIS

A new statement from Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) called on its allies and supporters to attack targets belonging to the United States and its allies.

Go after America as part of a plan for jihad, militarily, economically, or through the media,” the statement declared, saying the attacks would be retaliation for the ongoing air war in Iraq.

While many al-Qaeda factions have been hostile toward ISIS, AQAP has expressed support for them, leading to growing US fear that the two factions, both being targeted by US forces, could collaborate.

AQAP, of course, was already trying to target the US because of the ongoing US drone war against them. Yet the new attention brought to international jihadist factions by the US air war in Iraq could be adding momentum behind the group’s supports to hit US-affiliated targets.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.