NEW DRONE STRIKE KILLS THREE AL-QAEDA FIGHTERS SUSPECTS IN YEMEN

Shabwa, Yemen, 11 Jumadil Awwal 1436/2 March 2015 (MINA) – An overnight drone strike killed three suspected al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen, a country where the United States is the only power operating the unmanned aircraft, a tribal source said Monday.

The late Sunday strike in the Markha district of the southern province of Shabwa also wounded another three suspected fighters, the source told Agence France Presse.

It was the second drone strike in the province in as many days. On Saturday, a drone strike on a vehicle killed three fighters in the village of Bijan, Nahar Net quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Yemen has descended into chaos since a Shiite militia overran the capital Sanaa last September.

But President Barack Obama vowed in January not to let up in the U.S. campaign against the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington regards as its most dangerous.

The Huthi militia seized the presidential place in Sanaa in January and placed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi under effective house arrest but the Western-backed leader managed to escape late last month to the main southern city of Aden.

The port city and neighboring provinces are largely controlled by troops and militia loyal to Hadi.

But al-Qaeda has a strong presence in parts of the south, including Shabwa and Hadramawt province further east. (T/P001/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)