Vice News quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Nabeel Khoury on the role of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in the conflict in Yemen:
Meanwhile, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), who have long had a foothold in Yemen’s vast and sparsely populated east, are making gains amid the chaos. “This is a big opportunity for AQAP, and even the Islamic State, to seize more ground and consolidate and they’re taking it. Extremist Islamic groups are benefiting the most from this war at the moment,” Dr Nabeel Khoury, an expert on the Middle East and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told VICE News.
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“This strategy will not benefit anyone in the long-term, the Saudis included,” said Khoury. “It’s a situation where my enemy’s enemy is still my enemy, al Qaeda will happily shoot at Saudi soldiers.”