- Yemeni tribal leaders said the men were traveling in the country’s central Marib province on Sunday when a missile hit their car, engulfing it in flames
- The attack comes four days after a U.S. drone strike killed an Al Qaeda commander in Yemen
- Yemen fell into chaos following its 2011 Arab Spring uprising
- Al Qaeda has taken advantage of the security breakdown to seize territory and expand operations in the impoverished country
A suspected U.S. drone strike has killed five alleged Al Qaeda fighters in Yemen’s central Marib province, according to the country’s tribal leaders.
They say the men were traveling Sunday in the Saud area of Rawan district when a missile hit their car, engulfing it in flames.
They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
A suspected U.S. drone strike has killed five alleged Al Qaeda fighters in Yemen’s central Marib province, according to the country’s tribal leaders
The attack comes four days after a U.S. drone strike killed an Al Qaeda commander in Yemen.
Shroum Al-Sanaani, military commander of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was killed in a targeted attack whilst travelling on a motorcycle in the Al-Bayda province in a district called Nekla, which is a stronghold of AQAP.
President Trump introduced new rules in March that permit the military and CIA to launch strikes and raids without congressional approval.
U.S. drone strikes in Yemen have killed 1,238 people since 2002.
Yemen fell into chaos following its 2011 Arab Spring uprising that removed longtime autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh, now allied with Shiite rebels from the north who occupy much of the country and are fighting his successor.
A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the rebels and Saleh’s forces since March 2015.
Al Qaeda has taken advantage of the security breakdown to seize territory and expand operations in impoverished Yemen, which sits along strategic oil shipping routes.