Three U.S. drone strikes killed a total of 12 suspected al-Qaeda militants Thursday, Aug 8, a Yemeni military official said, raising to eight the number of attacks in less than two weeks as the Arab nation is on high alert against terrorism, the Guardian reported.
The uptick in drone strikes signals that the Obama administration is stepping up its efforts to target Yemen's al-Qaeda offshoot — al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — amid fears of attacks after the interception of a message between its leader and the global leader of the terror network.
Since July 27, drone attacks have killed 34 suspected militants, according to an Associated Press count provided by Yemeni security officials.
The Yemeni military official said the first drone attack killed six alleged militants in central Marib province, while the second killed three more in the al-Ayoon area of Hadramawt province in the south. Both air strikes targeted cars, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The high alert in Yemen came after authorities revealed an al-Qaeda plot to target foreign embassies and international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
The U.S. and Britain evacuated diplomatic staff this week after learning of a threatened attack that prompted Washington to close temporarily 19 diplomatic posts in the Middle East and Africa.
