**Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)** is a **Sunni Islamist militant organization** based in Yemen that emerged in January 2009 through a merger of al-Qaeda's Yemeni and Saudi branches.[1][4] As a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, AQAP is considered the most active and lethal al-Qaeda affiliate, prioritizing attacks against Western targets and the U.S. homeland.[1][4] ## Core Objectives and Operations AQAP seeks to overthrow the Yemeni government, establish an Islamic emirate, and purge Muslim countries of Western influence.[1][2] The organization operates under a hierarchical structure led by an emir who oversees all activities through consultation with a Shura Council.[1] Beyond Yemen, AQAP has conducted high-profile international attacks, including the 2009 attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253, the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris, and the 2019 Naval Air Station Pensacola shooting.[1][3] ## Territorial Control and Expansion Between 2011 and 2012, AQAP controlled towns in southern Yemen's Abyan and Shabwa provinces, establishing Islamic "emirates."[2] The group later formed a stronghold in Mukalla, Hadramawt Governorate, where it seized government facilities and robbed banks.[3] AQAP benefited significantly from Yemen's civil war, gaining control of majority-Sunni areas.[4] ## Current Status and Evolution Recent assessments indicate AQAP has become weaker and harder to define than at almost any point since its formation.[6] The organization has fragmented into disparate elements aligned with various militias pursuing political and economic agendas rather than purely ideological goals.[