A US drone strike on Saturday targeted a motorcycle in the Al-Husoon area of Al-Wadi district, east of Yemen\u2019s Marib province, eliminating two alleged Al-Qaeda terrorists, a local government security source told Xinhua.<\/p>\n
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two were from Al-Wadi district but did not provide their names.<\/p>\n
The strike comes amid ongoing counter-terrorism operations in Yemen, where US drones have periodically targeted individuals believed to be affiliated with terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda. The US has also targeted the Iranian-backed Houthis in strikes.<\/p>\n
Neither the United States nor the internationally recognized Yemeni government has issued an official statement regarding the incident.<\/p>\n
Marib, a strategic and oil-rich province under government control, has long been a focal point of conflict. Both Al-Qaeda and the Houthis have sought to expand their activities there since the civil war erupted in late 2014.<\/p>\n
Al-Qaeda\u2019s Yemen branch, called Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), has carried out many terrorist attacks<\/a> in Yemen in recent years and has also targeted the West.<\/p>\n In 2015, the group claimed responsibility<\/a> for the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris and then called for \u201clone wolf attacks\u201d<\/a> against Western targets.<\/p>\n In 2020, AQAP claimed<\/a> an attack at a US naval base in Pensacola, Florida, though it provided no evidence.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s leader, Sa\u2019ad bin Atef al-Awlaki, has in the past issued direct threats<\/a> against US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk in a video address.<\/p>\n