Drone strike kills pair of al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen

Second strike kills three civilians who rushed to the scene of the first strike targeting al-Qaeda caravan

A presumed US drone strike in south Yemen on Sunday killed five suspected members of Al-Qaeda and three civilians, a security official said.

Earlier, a local official gave a toll of three suspects killed in the strike in the Al-Said area of Shabwa province.

The vehicle targeted was carrying five suspected Al-Qaeda members, all of whom were killed by a missile, the security official said.

Three civilians who went to their aid were killed when a second missile struck, the official said.

Washington has sharply intensified its air war against the jihadists since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

US President Donald Trump at the US Treasury Department in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2017. (AFP Photo/Jim Watson)

The Pentagon said on April 3 that it had carried out more than 70 strikes against jihadist targets in Yemen since February 28.

Before Sunday’s attack, two strikes overnight on Tuesday killed five suspected members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Washington regards AQAP to be the most dangerous branch of the extremist group.

Last month, US media reports said Trump’s administration had given new powers to the CIA to conduct drone strikes against extremist targets in the Middle East.