Suspected US drone strike kills 4 Al-Qaeda members in Yemen

US troops operate a drone during a desert warfare exercise. A suspected US drone strike has killed four alleged Al-Qaeda militants including a field leader in southern Yemen, tribal leaders said on Sept. 9, 2018. (Shutterstock photo)

SANAA, Yemen: Yemeni tribal leaders say a suspected US drone strike has killed four alleged Al-Qaeda militants including a field leader in the country’s south.
The tribal leaders said on Sunday that the operatives were killed when an unmanned aircraft targeted a group of Al-Qaeda militants in the district of Ahwar, one of Al-Qaeda’s strongholds in the southern Abyan province.
They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemeni affiliate is known, has long been considered the global network’s most dangerous branch and has attempted to carry out attacks inside the US
Yemen was plunged into civil war more than three years ago. Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State affiliate have exploited the chaos to expand their presence in the country.