ADEN // At least four militants were killed in US air strikes on Al Qaeda in Yemen on Thursday, including in the same province where American forces carried out a ground raid against the extremists in late January.
The early morning strikes by US drones and warplanes targeted areas of Shabwa, Al Bayda and Abyan – all provinces where the extremists hold significant amounts of territory.
The Pentagon said the strikes against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap), the extremist group’s Yemen branch, were carried out in “partnership” with the government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
The 20 precision strikes targeted militants, equipment and infrastructure, Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis said.
“The strikes will degrade the Aqap’ s ability to coordinate external terror attacks and limit their ability to use territory seized from the legitimate government of Yemen as a safe space for terror plotting,” Capt Davis said.
However, deaths were reported only from Shabwa, where US drones struck Al Qaeda targets in Al Saeed district, according to a journalist in the province.
Drones also unleashed strikes on an Al Qaeda mountain stronghold in the Shoqra district of Abyan.
"US drones targeted a mountain in Mogan area which is a stronghold of Al Qaeda members. Residents in Shoqra said they heard Explosions in the mountains," a journalist based in Abyan's Zinjubar district told The National.
Since only members of Al Qaeda and their supporters live in the area targeted, it is difficult to get more information on the strikes, the journalist said.
US drones also launched six strikes on Al Qaeda strongholds in Al Sowmaa district of Bayda, the province where US navy Seals carried out a raid in January. However, there were no casualties because the militants had left the district last month, according to reports from local journalists.
The strikes come barely a month after a controversial American commando raid against the extremists in which several civilians and a US commando were killed.
A US official said Tjursdya’s strikes had been planned months ago and were unrelated to the botched raid, which the White House has repeatedly claimed was a success that yielded crucial intelligence.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting from Agence France-Presse