US says 28 Al Qaida militants killed in Yemen since September

Cairo: The US military says its air strikes have killed 28 Al Qaida militants in Yemen since September.

Central Command said in a statement on Thursday that the air strikes took place between September 23 and December 13.

Army Maj. Josh T. Jacques, a spokesman, said the strikes “pressure the terrorist network and hinder their ability to attack the US and our allies.”

Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as the Yemeni affiliate is known, has been behind a number of failed attacks on the US homeland and is widely seen as the most dangerous branch of the global network.

The fight against AQAP has been complicated by Yemen’s civil war, which pits the government and a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite Al Houthi rebels and forces loyal to a former president.