Five members of the jihadist group Al-Qaeda were killed in an air strike in southern Yemen, Yemeni security sources reported on Saturday, accusing the United States of carrying out the attack.
There has been no immediate response from the US authorities regarding this claim.
According to a security source in Abyan province, which neighbours Aden where the internationally recognised Yemeni government is based, the US carried out the strike on Friday evening.
A second source confirmed that the American strike in the northern region of Khabar al-Maraqsha resulted in five deaths. This mountainous area is known to harbour Al-Qaeda members.
The same source indicated that one of the local leaders of the group might be among the casualties.
Once considered the most dangerous branch of the jihadist network by the United States, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) gained traction in Yemen amid the turmoil of the ongoing conflict between the Saudi-backed government and Iranian-supported Houthi rebels since 2014.
In early May, through Omani mediation, the United States reached a ceasefire agreement with the Houthis, halting American strikes that were in retaliation for insurgent attacks on ships off the Yemeni coast.
