Washington: The Pentagon says a US air strike in Yemen on Sunday killed eight operatives of group known as Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), including a key leader.
A spokesman, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, said the air strike on April 23 killed Abu Ahmad Awlaqi, who had led AQAP operations in Shabwa province. Davis said he was a plotter of external attacks and had facilitated the extremist group’s transfer of weapons and explosives.
Davis said seven other AQAP operatives also were killed in the air strike.
The US military in recent months has been conducting what Davis described as a sustained campaign to kill AQAP leaders and other operatives in Yemen.
