Al-Qaida in Yemen denies AP report on secret deals with UAE
CAIRO (AP) — Yemen's al-Qaida branch denied on Friday an Associated Press report saying it struck secret deals over territories it controls with the Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels in the country.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula — considered the terror group's most dangerous branch after failed attacks on U.S. soil — said in a statement posted on its Telegram channel that the report "lacks evidence, reality, or credibility."
It added that both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have cooperated with the U.S. using "the dirtiest means," which the group said it would uncover soon.
The statement comes after the AP outlined how Emirati forces have integrated al-Qaida members into the ranks of newly formed militias that currently control most of southern Yemen.
The Associated Press stands by its reporting, a spokesman said.
