US Steps-up Anti-Al-Qa’ida Campaign in Yemen; Drone Attacks Kill 9

For the second time in three days, a US-controlled unmanned drone aircraft was used to kill wanted members of the Yemeni franchise of Al-Qa’ida. An early-morning attack on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of three Al-Qa’ida fighters when the vehicle they were riding in sustained a direct hit by a drone-fired missile. Two of the terrorists were Yemeni, one Saudi Arabian. A second vehicle targeted by the drone managed to escape. Details were provided to the French AFP news agency by a “tribal source.” The attack took place in the southern Shabwa province, which abuts Abyan, which is the epicenter of Al-Qa’ida’s presence. US security officials list the Yemeni group – Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) — as the most lethal offshoot of the international terrorist organization. A similar attack in Abyan province on Saturday night killed six AQAP operatives.