Three Al-Qaeda operatives were killed and six others were wounded on Thursday in a suspected US drone strike on a Yemeni village in the restive southern Abyan province, a local government official told AFP.
“An unmanned aircraft, likely American, struck the village of Shaqra…and killed three Al-Qaeda operatives and wounded six others,” said the official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
He said the militant group has been carrying out military training exercises in the area, adding that near-by residents had reported sounds of gunfire and explosions in recent days.
Yemeni troops have been battling Al-Qaeda linked militants in Abyan since May when a group called the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law), believed to be linked to Al-Qaeda, overran several Abyan towns, including the regional capital Zinjibar.
The official told AFP that the militants remain in control of Zinjibar and the town of Jaar, while government troops are stationed on the outskirts of both.
The Yemeni government has repeatedly denied direct US involvement in the fight against Al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch, saying it only provides logistical support.
Local residents and officials in the southern and eastern provinces however insist that US drone aircraft regularly carry out attacks on suspected Al-Qaeda operatives.
