7 Qaida Suspects Killed in Yemen Drone Strike

Seven suspected Al-Qaida militants were killed in an apparent U.S. drone strike on the Yemeni port city of Mukalla which the jihadists overran earlier this month, a local official said on Wednesday.

The overnight strike hit a vehicle parked near the presidential palace in Mukalla, capital of Hadramawt province, witnessed said.

The United States, whose intelligence agencies consider the Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to be the most dangerous branch of the jihadist network, is the only country that operates drones over the war-torn country.

On April 14, AQAP announced the death of one of its ideological leaders, Ibrahim al-Rubaish, in a similar drone strike in Hadramawt.

Al-Qaida has exploited fighting between rebels and beleaguered government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition to consolidate its grip on the southeastern province.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has acknowledged that Al-Qaida is gaining ground but has vowed that Washington will keep up its battle against the group.