Yemen Air Strike Kills Al Qaeda Militants

Yemen Air Strike Kills Al Qaeda Militants

Local residents reported on Tuesday that at least 11 al Qaeda revolutionists, which include some local leaders, were killed in an air strike in southern Yemen.

Allegedly, unidentified people attacked the al Qaeda militants while they were travelling in two vehicles east of the city of Lawdar in Abyan province in southern Yemen.

At least four of those who were killed were local al Qaeda leaders, a community leader said. Fortunately, no civilians were hurt in the attack.

It was reported that the United States military group has always used drones in attacking the al Qaeda revolutionists in Yemen. In September of last year, a U.S. drone killed Anwar al-Awlaki, described by U.S. officials as al Qaeda’s "chief of external operations" in Yemen.

This latest attack is definitely a great blow to al Qaeda which has, recently, exploited protests and conflict against President Ali Abdullah Saleh in order to strengthen its hold on certain remote areas in southern Yemen.

An opposition group has been set up in Yemen after President Ali Abdullah Saleh had agreed in November of last year to bestow authority to his deputy ahead of the scheduled presidential elections in February.

Protests continued and activists are insisting that President Saleh be tried for alleged inhumane abuse and killings of demonstrators.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday February 01 2012, 4:57 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0