Three members of the jihadist group al-Qaeda were killed in a drone strike east of the Yemeni capital, local officials said on Tuesday (January 31st), suspecting an American attack.
The United States did not immediately comment on the attack.
The strike was carried out against a car in the province of Marib, the scene in 2021 of deadly fighting between government forces and Houthi rebels.
“
Three al-Qaeda operatives were killed in a drone strike
,” a government official in the Marib region told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“
The three people were in a car in Wadi Obeida when they were targeted by the strike, presumed to be American, which killed them instantly
,” he added.
A second Marib official confirmed the attack and the death toll.
Security chaos
The United States considers the organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as the most dangerous branch of the jihadist network and has been carrying out drone attacks against this group based in Yemen for several years.
AQAP and the Islamic State (IS) group, two rival jihadist groups, have taken advantage of the security chaos caused by the war between the government, supported since 2015 by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, and Houthi rebels close to Israel. Iran.
Read alsoIn Yemen, an endless war that does not say its name
AQAP has carried out attacks in Yemen against both Houthis and government forces.
The organization has also claimed responsibility for attacks in the United States and Europe.
The war in Yemen has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since 2015 and plunged the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula into one of the world's worst humanitarian tragedies.
