In January 2009, a union of al-Qaeda branches in Saudi Arabia and Yemen came together to form a new Islamic militant organization under the name Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Originally under the leadership of Osama Bin Laden's former private secretary, Nasir al-Wuhayshi (CNN), AQAP represents one of multiple groups linked to Al-Qaeda. Over the years, AQAP has grown to become the most active affiliate of the jihadist network (BBC). U.S. officials, who have been the victim of a handful of attempted airline terrorist attacks in recent years, consider AQAP the most dangerous branch of al-Qaeda (Smith-Spark) because of its notorious reputation as an orchestrator of multiple high-profile organizations. terrorist attacks around the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay For many years, AQAP was led by the aforementioned veteran extremist leader, founder and second-in-command of al-Qaeda, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, who in 2010 was labeled a specially designated global terrorist by the US State Department in due to its close affiliation with al-Qaeda. By the time he was in his late thirties, al-Wuhayshi had more than twenty years of combat experience (Lister, Cruickshank). America had described its leadership role as “responsible for approving targets, recruiting new members, allocating resources for training and planning attacks, and directing others to carry out attacks” ( Ferran); but, despite being an astute strategist, he was also an extremely charismatic man who “inspired awe and deep loyalty among al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen” (Lister, Cruickshank). Al-Wuhayshi was the core instigating many of AQAP's threats and attacks until his death on June 12, 2015, in a US drone attack (CNN). Many observers believe al-Wuhayshi's death was the most significant blow to al-Qaeda in years (Lister, Cruickshank). Days after his death, AQAP released al-Wuhayshi's statement and named Qasim al-Raymo as his successor (BBC). Currently led by al-Raymo and based in Yemen, AQAP's status has become even more widely known. AQAP had previously targeted local residents of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, the United States and the Western occupiers of the Arabian Peninsula; but, more recently, it has pursued a global strategy (NCTC). Many of their long-term goals are also consistent with the principles of al-Qaeda's other branches: assassinate Western citizens and their allies (including members of the Saudi Arabian royal family), expel Jews and Crusaders from the Arabian Peninsula, re-establish the Islamic caliphate, introduce Sharia and liberate Muslim lands. They also aim to liberate non-Muslim people from Yemen and Saudi Arabia and overthrow the nations' governments to eventually replace them with an Islamic state. Their tactics are primarily based on targeting foreigners, government forces in Yemen, and Saudi leaders (Smith-Spark). AQAP is currently identified as al-Qaeda's most dangerous and ambitious international threat, carrying out a domestic insurgency while maintaining Western objectives (CFR). . While al-Wuhayshi was alive, he was considered one of Yemen and Saudi Arabia's most wanted fugitives, and the United States offered him a ten million dollar reward for his capture or death. In order to gain global recognition and media propaganda for recruitment, AQAP was the first al-Qaeda franchise to.