Four killed in US drone strikes in Yemen

Separate US drone attacks have killed four people in the southwestern Yemeni province of Bayda.

Yemeni security sources, who were speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first drone strike hit a vehicle carrying three people, purported to be al-Qaeda suspects, in Sawma’ah district in the province on Saturday.

A day earlier, another drone attack had purportedly killed a local military instructor for the terrorist group in the same province. Among the fatalities of the Saturday attack was Abu Anis al-Abi, identified as an area field commander.

The al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of the chaos and breakdown of security in Yemen to tighten its grip on the southern and southeastern parts of the Arab country.

The US carries out drone attacks in Yemen and several other countries, claiming to be targeting al-Qaeda elements; but, local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.

Last week, American intelligence officials said as many as 117 civilians had been killed in at least 526 drone strikes conducted during former US president Barack Obama’s terms in office. The attacks had been carried out in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and elsewhere.