Seven suspected al Qaeda fighters killed in Yemen drone strike

US military is the only force known to operate armed drones over Yemen


Afp July 06, 2018
The CIA first used its new powers to strike with drones in February, when it apparently killed Al-Qaeda leader Abu Khayr al-Masri in a strike in Syria. PHOTO: AFP

ADEN: Seven suspected al Qaeda fighters were killed on Friday when a drone targeted their car in the southern Yemeni province of Shabwa, a security official said.

The car was hit as it drove along a side road in Shabwa's Bihan district, the official, from forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognised government told AFP.

The US military is the only force known to operate armed drones over Yemen.

The security official said the militants were members of al Qaeda, and said the aircraft that carried out the strike was American.

UN envoy holds 'fruitful' talks with Yemen rebel chief

The United States considers the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be the radical group's most dangerous branch.

A long-running drone war against AQAP has intensified since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017.

AQAP has flourished in the chaos of the country's civil war, which pits the Saudi-backed government against Huthi rebels.

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