The United States carried out an airstrike in January that killed a leader of Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen after months of tracking him, according to current and former government officials. Qassim al-Rimi, 41, was killed in the January strike but officials had been waiting to confirm the information before making public statement, the New York Times reports. The Yemen branch, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been keen to attack the U.S. and Europe. The government then started using surveillance drones to track him, according to an U.S. official who was briefed on the strike. Local news in Yemen reports that the strike killed two militant suspects in the area of Wadi Abedah in central Yemen, but did not identify who those people wereLocal news in Yemen reports that the strike killed two militant suspects in the area of Wadi Abedah in central Yemen, but did not identify who those people were.

Source: Daily Mail February 01, 2020 06:58 UTC