Al-Qaida's Yemeni Affiliate AQAP Pledges More Jailbreaks

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemeni arm of the militant Islamic outfit has pledged to stage more jailbreaks over the coming days. The Yemen-based group, widely considered the most active wing of al-Qaida, has vowed to free members from prisons across the region.

"The imprisonment will not last and the chains will be broken," said AQAP leader Nasser al-Wuhayshi, in his "letter to the captives in the tyrants' prisons".

The militant leader, a close aid of slain al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, added, "The detention [of al-Qaida prisoners] cannot last. Your brothers are about to bring down the walls and thrones of evil... and victory is within reach. We're all on the same ship, some on the deck and others in the bunt and each team owes its survival to the other."

The statement was released on an Islamist website and the authenticity could not be independently verified. The announcement has come amid intensifying US drone attacks targeting al-Qaida suspects in Yemen.

Al-Qaida launched a major prison-break in Iraq, setting free more than 500 inmates. Another massive jailbreak in the restive Libyan city of Benghazi witnessed more than 1,000 detainees escape from the prison. It is still unclear who launched the prison attack on the Libyan prison.

Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri also issued a similar threat targeting the US, promising to release prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.

The alleged conversation between Zawahiri and Wuhayshi is believed to have triggered the closure of Western diplomatic missions across Middle East and North Africa.