US: Drone strikes kills 28 al-Qaeda members in Yemen

By Kasim Ileri

WASHINGTON (AA) – Nine U.S. drone strikes have killed 28 suspected al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen, the American military announced Thursday.

U.S. Central Command said the strikes were conducted between Sept. 23 and Dec. 13 but did not provide the names of suspected terrorists.

The strikes across Yeme, including in the Shabwah, Hadramawt and Baydah governorates.

“Strikes against AQAP [al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula] in Yemen pressure the terrorist network and hinder their ability to attack the U.S. and our allies,” Maj. Josh T. Jacques, a Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.

The U.S. consider AQAP a foreign terrorist organization with a history of attacks against western countries, including the 2009 Christmas Day attempted bombing of a commercial airliner in the U.S. and the 2015 deadly attacks at the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.