ADEN, Apr 24 (NNN-YPA) – A senior commander of the Yemen-based al-Qaeda branch was killed yesterday, in a shootout with local security forces, in Yemen’s south-eastern province of Hadramout, a security official said.
The gun battle took place in the Sudaf area of Hadramout, when a unit of local security forces conducted an operation on an intelligence tip-off and raided an al-Qaeda hideout in the area, the local security source said.
The official confirmed that a senior commander of al-Qaeda, wanted by the security forces for his involvement in terror attacks in Hadramout was killed, without revealing the al-Qaeda member’s identity.
According to Yemeni officials, the operation dealt a heavy setback to the terrorist group’s apparent attempts to gain ground in the poor Arab country.
The Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network, has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against security forces in the country’s southern provinces.
The AQAP has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi militia, to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country.
