SAN’A, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni security officials say an airstrike has killed six al-Qaida operatives, including a key leader, in a desert village bordering Saudi Arabia.
The officials say four of those killed were on Yemen’s list of most-wanted al-Qaida figures, including Qassim al-Raimi, who had been accused of plotting to assassinate the U.S. ambassador in 2004. Al-Raimi escaped from a Yemeni prison in 2006 with 21 other militants.
Friday’s attack by Yemeni warplanes struck the village of Yatama, about 118 miles (190 kilometers) northeast of the capital, San’a.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.
Yemen has increased operations against the country’s al-Qaida offshoot in recent weeks.