Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP's) strong ties to the al Qaeda core set the group apart from other regional al Qaeda nodes. There were many connections between the al Qaeda core and Yemen, including Osama bin Laden, whose family immigrated to Saudi Arabia from eastern Yemen in the early part of the 20th century. Yemen served as a fertile recruiting ground for Arab volunteers organized by bin Laden's mentor Abdullah Azzam to fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, and some key AQAP leaders stayed with bin Laden through the Battle of Tora Bora in 2001. During that period, AQAP's founder and current leader, Nasir al-Wahayshi, served as bin Laden's personal secretary. Al-Wahayshi and senior military commander Qasim al-Raymi's connections to the al Qaeda core greatly bolster their ability to unite and inspire AQAP and other militants. In addition, AQAP's lead bombmaker Ibrahim al-Asiri has connections to the al Qaeda core. These connections allow AQAP to serve as a rallying point for elements of the now-dismantled al Qaeda core. The group's dependence on a few key leaders is a critical operational vulnerability should those individuals be captured or killed, but AQAP remains the most capable and active al Qaeda franchise.
