Sunday, a US drone strike killed three al-Qaida operatives on Yemen’s southern coast. The report was confirmed by tribal leaders and security officials in the area.
The officials said the operatives killed were driving a car in Shabwa province when an unmanned aircraft targeted their vehicle. Their bodies were not immediately identified. The vehicle was completely destroyed in the drone strike, which also hit three civilians who happened to be passing nearby, the residents and local officials said.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), is among the most dangerous branches of the global terror network and has exploited the chaos of the Yemen civil war, seizing territory in the south and east. This unrest has also allowed AQAP to recruit followers and cement its dominance in the region.
Residents indicated the group was known to operate in the area and had been targeted by U.S. forces in recent months.
US drone strikes against AQAP targets have been frequent. In January, a raid by Navy Seals on an al-Qaida position resulted in the death of American commando, Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens.
al-Qaida Fighting on Two Fronts.
The Houthis, a group also fighting al-Qaida, seized much of northern Yemen including Sanaa in a series of lightning military operations that began in 2014, eventually forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee.
Saudi Arabia is leading the coalition fighting the Iranian-aligned Houthis in an attempt to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition of nine African and Middle East countries, to influence the outcome of the Yemeni Civil War in favor of the government of President Hadi.
Operation Decisive Storm initially consisted of a bombing campaign on Houthi Rebels. The operation expanded to include a naval blockade and the deployment of ground forces into Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition has attacked the Houthi militia and loyalists of the former President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, allegedly supported by Iran.
The coalition’s actions are in response to a request from the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. Fighter jets and ground forces from Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and contractors from the US-based private security firm, Academi (formerly Blackwater) also took part in the operation. Several other countries have been supplying logistical support to the coalition.
Fighting has raged around Mokha in recent weeks as pro-government forces push a major offensive to drive rebels from the Red Sea coast. The United Nations says the fighting has killed more than 7,700 people over the past two years. According to the International Federation of Journalists, at least eight journalists were killed in Yemen in 2016.
