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US drone attack leaves five people dead in SW Yemen

Wednesday, 14 September 2016 2:19 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 14 September 2016 2:29 PM ]

A US Predator B drone (file photo by AP)

The United States has conducted a fresh drone strike in the southwestern Yemeni province of Bayda, killing five people.

An unnamed tribal chief told AFP that the drone attack hit a car carrying the five, who are claimed to be suspected al-Qaeda militants, in a town situated in the province late on Wednesday.

Last week, the US military claimed in a statement that it had killed 13 alleged al-Qaeda militants in three separate strikes in Yemen between August 24 and September 4. It further noted that all the attacks were conducted in Yemen’s southern Shabwah province.

The al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of the chaos and breakdown of security in Yemen to tighten its grip on the southern and southeastern parts of the Arab country.

The US carries out drone attacks in Yemen and several other countries. Washington claims its drones target al-Qaeda elements, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.

A soldier guards while Yemenis gather during a protest to denounce US drone attacks outside the parliament in Sana’a, Yemen. (File photo by AP)

The drone strikes in Yemen have continued alongside the Saudi military aggression against the impoverished conflict-ridden country.

Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015, with the UN putting the toll at about 10,000. The offensive was launched to crush the Houthi Ansarullah movement and its allies and reinstate the resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch Saudi ally.

The Houthis took state matters into their own hands after the resignation and escape of Hadi, which threw Yemen into a state of uncertainty and threatened a total security breakdown there.

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