Asia

Asia

4 al-Qaida members killed in U.S. drone strike in Yemen

25 September 2014 17:28 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Four members of the al-Qaida group were killed in a U.S. drone strike on Thursday afternoon in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa, local security and tribal sources told Xinhua, APA reports.

"An unmanned U.S. aircraft fired two missiles at a vehicle carrying four suspected al-Qaida affiliates in Nisab district located in the outskirts of Ataq city, Shabwa's provincial capital, " a security official in Shabwa's military said on condition of anonymity.

The U.S air strike hit the car and destroyed it completely, leaving all the people onboard killed, the official said, adding that targeted al-Qaida members were planning for terrorist operations in Shabwa province.

A local tribal chief told Xinhua by phone that "the air strike targeted the al-Qaida elements while they were driving toward their hideout Thursday afternoon at around 3:30 p.m. local time."

"Just few hours after the air strike, some local citizens had gone immediately to the location and found a damaged car and four burned bodies scattered in the area," the tribal source said on condition of anonymity.

With the support of U.S. President Barack Obama, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has on numerous occasions asserted his approval of American drones that target presumed al- Qaida affiliates.

However, critics from the human rights groups said the drone strikes violate international law and Yemen's sovereignty, which also cause heavy civilian casualties.

The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, is considered as major threat to the Yemeni government and neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.