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5 Al-Qaeda fighters killed in US drone strike in Yemen

October 20, 2017 at 12:08 pm

Smoke rises after a US drone strike was carried out in Yemen [demolinari‏/Twitter]

A United States drone strike in Yemen yesterday killed five Al-Qaeda fighters.

A truck carrying members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was obliterated by the US drone strike, with the five fighters on board, including the commander, killed just before sunset.

Demolinari, an analyst who tracks incidents in Yemen, reported that the following fighters were killed; Nayef Al-Damaji Abu Obeidah, Salah Hadi Al Lawdari, Shaib Al-Lawdari, Nadaer Al-Jaru and Shamil Al-Jadani.

The US has not publicly commented on the drone strike or confirmed if there were any civilian casualties.

It has expanded its drone policy in countries where it is not officially at war. President Donald Trump has provided the US’ Central Intelligence Agency and Military with broader authority to strike targets inside Yemen, considering parts of the country “temporary battlefields”.

US drone strikes in Yemen have killed 1,238 people and injured 300 since 2002, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operates in several provinces in southern and eastern Yemen, including Shabwa, Al-Bayda and Abyan.

Read More: 12 US drone strikes attack Daesh in Yemen for first time