Yemeni fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed Yemeni president stand by armoured vehicles at a position which was taken from Shiite-Houthi rebels in a mountainous region northwest of the central city of Taiz, on April 20, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SALEH AL-OBEIDI
A presumed US drone strike on Sunday killed three suspected members of Al-Qaeda in south Yemen, a local official said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the suspects’ vehicle had been targeted and its three occupants were incinerated in the strike.
The attack took place in the Al-Said area of Shabwa province.
Washington has sharply intensified its air war against the jihadists since President Donald Trump took office in January.
The Pentagon said on April 3 that it had carried out more than 70 strikes against jihadist targets in Yemen since February 28.
Before Sunday’s attack, two strikes overnight on Tuesday killed five suspected members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula that the US regards to be the most dangerous branch of the extremist group.
Last month, US media reports said Trump’s administration had given new powers to the CIA to conduct drone strikes against extremist targets in the Middle East.