Drone Strike Kills Qaida Suspect in Yemen

A drone strike killed a suspected al-Qaida militant in southern Yemen, a security official said on Thursday, as the US steps up its air war against the jihadists.

The missile hit al-Qaida provincial official Ahmed Ali Saana as he was riding a motorbike late on Wednesday in the town of Khabar al-Muraqasha in Abyan province, a major target of recent drone strikes, the official said on condition of anonymity. 

The Pentagon has confirmed more than 70 air strikes on al-Qaida targets in Yemen since February 28. 

Yemeni security officials have reported dozens of suspected jihadist fighters killed in the strikes on Abyan and the neighbouring provinces of Shabwa and Baida. 

More than two years of civil war in Yemen between government forces and Shiite rebels who control the capital have created a power vacuum which al-Qaida has exploited to consolidate its presence.

A commando raid against al-Qaida in Baida province was the first operation US President Donald Trump ordered after taking office in January.

It went badly wrong, resulting in the deaths of a US Navy SEAL and multiple civilians, including women and children, the Pentagon acknowledged.

Last month, Trump reportedly gave the Central Intelligence Agency new powers to authorize drone strikes against extremist targets in the Middle East independently of the Pentagon.