ISIS spokesperson killed in Yemen counterterrorism operation

ADEN, Yemen — Yemeni security forces killed ISIS spokesperson Abu Huzayfa al-Ansari in a special operation in the Hadramaut Valley, according to Yemeni security sources. The country's State Security body said al-Ansari was "neutralized" during the morning raid. Sources said counterterrorism units carried out the operation after an extended surveillance and tracking period, raiding the house where al-Ansari had been hiding. Al-Ansari was killed in the raid, while an aide was wounded, the sources added. The sources identified al-Ansari's real name as Mithak and said he was from the Habil Jibr area of Lahij in southern Yemen. He left the region in 2014 when Houthi forces seized state institutions, and was later tracked by security forces between the cities of Shabwah and Bayda. He had served as the group's fourth spokesperson since 2023, overseeing its media operations, according to the sources. ISIS, which has suffered heavy blows in Yemen over the years, continues to operate in limited cells, the sources said, adding that recent operations have weakened the group's structure.