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Drone strike kills 2 Qaeda suspects in Yemen

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AFP Aden
A drone strike killed two Al-Qaeda suspects travelling in a car in southern Yemen today, a security official said.

The attack in Shabwa province struck their vehicle as the pair were headed from provincial capital Ataq to the nearby town of Nisab, the official said.

The United States has carried out numerous drone strikes against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives in Yemen.

American officials said early this month that the US military had killed three AQAP fighters in a strike, also in Shabwa.

AQAP has exploited a power vacuum created by a conflict between the government and Shiite rebels to expand its presence in south and southeast Yemen.
 

But the US has vowed to continue its war against the group, which it considers to be the Al-Qaeda network's deadliest franchise.

A Saudi-led Arab military coalition that backs the Yemeni government has also turned its sights on AQAP, targeting it with air strikes.

The coalition is supporting pro-government forces which launched an offensive this year to retake several towns from AQAP.

In April, they seized provincial capital Mukalla in southeast Yemen, and this month loyalists recaptured the capital of the southern Abyan province, Zinjibar.

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First Published: Aug 24 2016 | 8:02 PM IST

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