Al-Qaeda suspect killed in Yemen drone strike

A drone strike on Yemen's central Maarib province on Monday has killed a suspected al-Qaeda militant, local tribesmen told Reuters news agency.

The attack targeted an oil-producing area where al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operates. Three rockets, presumed to be fired by a U.S. drone, hit a car that a man who went by the name of Ebad al-Shabwani was driving, the sources said.

The U.S. has intensified its drone attacks on Yemen in recent years, as part of a campaign against AQAP, regarded by Washington as one of the most lethal wings of the network.

Yemen, AQAP's main stronghold, is among a handful of countries where the United States acknowledges using drones, although it does not comment on the practice. Washington views Yemen as a front line in its fight against al-Qaeda.

(With Reuters)