AQAP's Strategic Shift and Ongoing Challenges in Yemen

• •AQAP's leadership change to Saad Bin Atif al-Awlaqi has not resulted in a strategic shift.
• •The group remains weakened, struggling with limited resources and operational capacity.
• •AQAP continues to engage in cyclical confrontations with the STC while maintaining covert ties with the Houthis.

In June 2025, AQAP leader Saad Bin Atif al-Awlaqi appeared in a video outlining the group's ambition to establish an Islamic state in Yemen, framing global jihad as its main objective. Despite this ambitious rhetoric, AQAP remains a weakened organization with limited resources and operational capacity. The group has been engaged in a cyclical confrontation with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), marked by short counter-terrorism campaigns and periods of regrouping. Under al-Awlaqi's leadership, AQAP has not shifted its strategy significantly, maintaining a focus on its existing operational patterns, including covert cooperation with the Houthis and engagement with local communities. The leadership change follows a history of setbacks for AQAP, including the deaths of key leaders and competition from the Islamic State in Yemen. As of now, AQAP's operational capabilities are diminished, but the group continues to adapt to the evolving conflict landscape in Yemen.