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ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- A commander of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch was killed Thursday in a U.S. drone strike in the country's central province of al-Baydha, a security official told Xinhua.
The U.S. drone attack killed Abdullah Sanaani and his bodyguard, who were travelling in a vehicle in al-Sawmah, a town in al-Baydha province, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Sanaani participated in several terror attacks in Yemen, the official said.
Local residents near the scene confirmed to Xinhua saying that the strike was conducted by a drone, which had hovered over the area for several hours.
Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East.
The AQAP, also known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009. It has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks on Yemen's army and government institutions.
U.S. drones have been active over skies of Yemeni cities since years ago, conducting hundreds of strikes that killed scores of al-Qaida leaders and many other extremists.
There have been accusations that many innocent civilians were also killed in the U.S. drone attacks.
Yemen has recently seen a rise in al-Qaida activities in the eastern and southern provinces, due to a chronic security vacuum resulting from the 19-month civil war between the exiled government and Houthi rebels who seized much of the country's north, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in March 2015 to help restore the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who was forced into exile.
According to the United Nations, airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition and fighting on the ground have left more than 6,400 people dead and many more displaced, throwing the country into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
