Drone attack on al-Qaeda in Yemen kills four
Their deaths bring to 13 the number of suspected al-Qaeda militants killed by similar strikes in Yemen over the past 10 days
A Saudi and a Kuwaiti are among four suspected al-Qaeda members killed by an American drone strike in southeastern Yemen, a local official said on Friday.
The dawn strike targeted their car as it left the base of the 27th Mechanized Brigade in the Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, the official told AFP.
Fighters from the Sunni extremist group seized the camp from forces loyal to President Abedrabbu Mansour Hadi in April, consolidating their grip on Mukalla.
They have exploited months of fighting between Hadi loyalists and Iran-backed Shiite Houthi militia to consolidate their grip on Yemen’s southeast.
The official identified the victims as Shuaib al-Maliki of Saudi Arabia and the Kuwaiti Abdul Aziz al-Otaibi, along with two Yemenis.
Their deaths bring to 13 the number of suspected al-Qaeda militants killed by similar strikes in Yemen over the past 10 days, and follows the death of the second-in-command of al-Qaeda’s global network.
The group confirmed on June 16 the killing by an American drone strike of Nasir al-Wuhayshi, who headed Al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch.
Washington regards that branch, known as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as its most dangerous and has kept up a drone war despite the pullout of US troops from Yemen in March as the country’s war worsened.
The US still has drones and other aircraft at bases in Saudi Arabia and Djibouti.
AQAP was behind several plots against Western targets and claimed the January massacre at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Since the war in Yemen worsened in March and a Saudi-led coalition began bombing the Shiite Houthi militia, jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISISI) extremist group have also taken advantage of the chaos.
They have claimed a series of attacks including a car bomb in Yemen’s capital Sanaa which killed at least 28 people on Monday.
-
Drone strike kills four ‘al-Qaeda militants’ in Yemen
A drone strike has killed four suspected al-Qaeda militants in southeast Yemen, a front-line in the U.S. war on the jihadist network, a provincial ... Middle East -
Drone strike kills three al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen
The strike killed a "leading figure" within al-Qaeda, an official said, without disclosing his name Middle East -
Court dismisses claim Germany played role in deadly Yemen drone attack
The judge has not ruled out the possibility of an appeal taking place. Middle East -
Seven al-Qaeda suspects killed in Yemen drone strike
The overnight strike hit a vehicle parked near the presidential palace in Mukalla, capital of Hadramawt province Middle East -
Three Al Qaeda fighters in Yemen killed in U.S. drone strike
The suspects were driving in a vehicle transporting weapons when the drone killed them Middle East -
Two Qaeda suspects killed in Yemen drone attack
The late night strike targeted a vehicle in Habban, southeast of Ataq, the main town in southern Shabwa province Middle East -
Al-Qaeda in Yemen says ideological leader killed by drone
Ibrahim al-Rubaish was killed with several other militants in a “crusade raid” Middle East -
Drone strike kills three al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen
The late Sunday strike in the Markha district of the southern province of Shabwa also wounded another three suspected militants Middle East -
U.S. drone attack in Yemen kills al-Qaeda suspects
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is considered one of the most powerful branches of the global militant group Middle East -
Top al-Qaeda militant in Yemen dead in U.S. drone strike: AQAP
Tribal sources had said four suspected militants were left charred in their car in a drone strike that day in Shabwa Middle East