A local Saudi commander of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch was killed on Monday in clashes with Yemeni army troops in the southeastern province of Shabwa, a military official said.

The armed confrontations broke out on Monday morning when a contingent of Yemeni army came under fire from al-Qaida suspected attackers in Shabwa's suburbs, the local military official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The slain militant was identified as Majed al-Matiri, a local Saudi cadre of the al-Qaida terrorist group in Yemen, the military official added.

Earlier on Monday a U.S. drone strike killed four suspected al- Qaida militants in the northeastern province of Marib and bombed a car with al-Qaida members in the Wadi Abida district in Marib.

The Yemeni army, backed by U.S. military support, has waged a wide-scale assault on al-Qaida strongholds since last week in the country's southern territories, killing scores of militants.

On Thursday the Yemeni Defense Ministry announced that army troops had dislodged al-Qaida militants from their last bastion in the southeastern province of Shabwa after two weeks of intense fighting.

The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, considered as a major threat to the Yemeni government and neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia, has vowed to hit back in Yemen's main cities, including the capital Sanaa. Endi

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)