Sana'a: Thirty four Al Qaida operatives were believed killed when missiles launched by air and sea struck a hideout of the militant group in Shabwah province, an official statement said Thursday.
Nasser Al Wahayshi, head of Al Qaida in the Arabian peninsula and his deputy, Saeed Al Saudi Shahrani, were possibly killed in the strike, although there was no immediate confirmation.
Also, among those believed to be killed in the operation was Anwar Al Awlaki, a preacher linked by US intelligence to Major Nidal Malek Hassan, the Fort Hood medic who killed 13 people at his army base recently. It was reported earlier that Hassan had been in e-mail contact with the preacher.
It was also revealed Thursday that the British embassy was the target of an Al Qaida suicide plot that was foiled by Yemeni authorities last week, according to a defence ministry-linked website.
The attack on the British embassy "was to be modelled on the operation that was carried out against the American embassy" in 2008, which killed 16 people, it added.
Confirmation
Tribal shaikh Lahmar Bin Salfooh confirmed that five of the men buried following the strike were comrades of Fahd Al Kusa, who was convicted of participating in the bombing of the US Navy destroyer USS Cole in 2000.
Tribal shaikhs were planning a meeting late Thursday on how to expel Al Qaida elements from their areas, as US efforts to stem Al Qaida activity in Yemen have intensified.
It still remains unclear whether US involvement will curb Al Qaida activity or further fuel it.
