Five members of Al-Qaeda have reportedly been killed in a U.S. airstrike in southern Yemen, according to multiple Yemeni security sources. The incident took place in the Abyan province, near Khabar Al-Maraqsha, an area known for its affiliation with militant activities.
Sources indicated that local residents informed authorities about the strike, which occurred on Friday evening. “Five Al-Qaeda members were eliminated,” stated a security official from the region. While the identities of those killed have not been confirmed, one of the sources suggested that a local Al-Qaeda leader may have been among the casualties.
The group involved, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), has garnered a reputation as one of the most dangerous branches of the larger Al-Qaeda network. Formed in 2009 from the union of Al-Qaeda factions in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, AQAP has exploited the ongoing chaos in Yemen’s conflict, which has been ongoing since 2015. This conflict has primarily seen the Iran-backed Houthi rebels clashing with a Saudi-led coalition that supports the internationally recognized government, based in Aden.
Earlier this month, the United States established a ceasefire agreement with the Houthis, who have maintained control over significant areas of Yemen for the better part of a decade. This development followed a series of intensive U.S. airstrikes targeting Houthi positions, which intensified following an uptick in Houthi attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These hostilities escalated after the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict, leading to military interventions by the U.S. and British forces beginning in January 2024.
The prolonged conflict in Yemen has resulted in a staggering toll, with hundreds of thousands of deaths and creating one of the most severe humanitarian crises worldwide. Nevertheless, a United Nations-negotiated six-month truce in 2022 significantly reduced the level of fighting in the country.
