| Information |  | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
| ||
| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
| ||
04Feb16
Top al-Qaida leader killed in U.S. drone strike in Yemen
A top leader of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch was killed along with two of his guards during a U.S. drone strike in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Thursday, a government official told Xinhua.
"Leading al-Qaida member, Jalal Baleidi, was killed with two of his guards in a U.S. drone strike that destroyed his car in a desert area of Abyan province this morning," the local government official said on condition of anonymity.
Baleidi, who defected from al-Qaida, was recently appointed leader of the Yemen-based affiliate of the Islamic State group.
His killing came just hours after a similar strike in southeastern Shabwa province, the official said.
Baleidi masterminded several attacks on bases of Yemeni armed forces and led operations that resulted in the seizure of a number of towns in the country's troubled south.
The al-Qaida militant group has not commented on the reported death of Baleidi.
The Yemen-based affiliates of the al-Qaida and Islamic State terrorist groups and other armed groups are known to operate throughout the tribal areas of Shabwa, Abyan and al-Baydha provinces.
Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which emerged in January 2009 and also known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, had claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on Yemen's army and government institutions.
[Source: Xinhua, Aden, 04Feb16]
Donate
Radio Nizkor
Islamic paramilitary organizations
 | This document has been published on 09Feb16 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |