Drone strike kills 2 Qaeda suspects in Yemen

ADEN: A drone strike killed two al-Qaeda suspects travelling in a car in southern Yemen on Wednesday, a security official said. The attack in Shabwa province struck their vehicle as the pair were headed from provincial capital Ataq to the nearby town of Nisab, the official said.

The US has carried out numerous drone strikes against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives in Yemen.

American officials said early this month that the US military had killed three AQAP fighters in a strike, also in Shabwa.

AQAP has exploited a power vacuum created by a conflict between the government and rebels to expand its presence in south and southeast Yemen.

But the US has vowed to continue its war against the group, which it considers to be the al-Qaeda network’s deadliest franchise.