US launches strike on Al Qaeda leader in Yemen

Officials say US forces targeted Qassim Al Rimi in an air strike in January

The Houthis have developed sophisticated drone technology, according to IHS Markit. EPA

The United States has carried out an air strike on the leader of an Al Qaeda branch in Yemen after tracking him with surveillance for months, officials said.

Three current or former US officials told the New York Times they were confident they had killed Qassim Al Rimi, leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in a strike in January.

The officials said they were waiting for confirmation of the extremist leader's death before making an official announcement, the New York Times reported.

The US government had offered a $10 million reward for information on his whereabouts through its Rewards for Justice programme.

Al Rimi is believed to have become the group’s leader after a drone strike killed Nasir Al Wuhayshi in 2015.

AQAP has maintained a foothold in Yemen despite a long-running US military campaign including extensive use of drone strikes targeting members of the extremist group.

Last April, the US military carried out a series of six air strikes targeting AQAP in Yemen in the first strikes since Al Qaeda operative Jamal Al Badawi was killed by an American drone in January.

Though the group’s ability to carry out attacks outside Yemen has been reduced by the US campaign, analysts say AQAP remains dangerous.

Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel told the New York Times that Al Rimi was "an important target," adding that he was "probably more dangerous to Yemen and Saudi Arabia given the group's diminished capabilities".

Last month the attacker who stabbed performers during a concert in the Saudi capital of Riyadh confessed that he was following the directions of AQAP.