The Killing of an American Jihadi

What made Awlaki such a compelling figure for extremists? He was charismatic and glib, but the key was his fluent English.

Since the rise of Islamic State, it’s been easy to overlook terrorist organizations like al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Yet not long ago AQAP was the terrorist group most feared by American officials—and it is still the one most focused on American targets.

Much of its international prominence came from the late Anwar al-Awlaki, who was not AQAP’s leader but instead a terrorist guru cited as inspiration by a veritable rogues’ gallery. His disciples include Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian “underwear suicide bomber"

Source http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-killing-of-an-american-jihadi-1442961640