Drone strike kills four Al Qaeda suspects in Yemen: military

Published March 5, 2014
Yemeni soldiers stand guard outside the cabinet headquarters during the weekly parliament session with Yemeni ministers in Sanaa. — Photo by AFP
Yemeni soldiers stand guard outside the cabinet headquarters during the weekly parliament session with Yemeni ministers in Sanaa. — Photo by AFP

SANAA: A US drone strike in northern Yemen on Wednesday killed four suspected Al Qaeda members, including an Iraq veteran, a military official said.

The unmanned aircraft fired two rockets at a vehicle in the Khalka area of Jawf province, the official said, adding that among those killed was Ali Juraym, a local militant chief who had fought in Iraq.

The American military operates all drones flying over Yemen in support of Sanaa's campaign against Al Qaeda and has killed dozens of militants in a sharply intensified campaign in the past year.

Drone strikes have triggered criticism from rights activists, who say they have claimed the lives of many innocent civilians.

The United Nations said 16 civilians were killed and at least 10 wounded when two separate wedding processions were targeted by drones in early December.

The victims had been mistakenly identified as members of Al Qaeda, the UN quoted local security officials as saying at the time.

Following the deaths, Yemen's parliament voted for a ban on drone strikes, but analysts say lawmakers have limited powers and are unlikely to have an impact on Washington's campaign.

The United States says that drones are an essential part of its “war on terror”.

Yemen is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden and the home base of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington views as the jihadist network's most dangerous franchise.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.