Suspected US drone strike targets al-Qaeda member in Yemen’s Hadhramaut

A suspected US drone targeted an al-Qaeda operative in Yemen's Hadhramaut province early Monday, a local source reported.

A source within Hadhramaut's local authority told Sputnik that "an American drone carried out an airstrike on a vehicle carrying an al-Qaeda member in the Joule al-Qurashim, northeast of the city of Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramaut province."

The strike reportedly set the vehicle ablaze, with the target’s identity remaining undisclosed. “The drone circled intensely over the skies of Wadi Hadhramaut districts, appearing to track the vehicle before striking it directly,” the source added.

This incident follows Yemen’s announcement on October 16, 2022, that it had thwarted an al-Qaeda plot to "bomb civilian, military, and security facilities, including the central bank and local authority headquarters." Five members of a cell, including a high-ranking operative, were reportedly apprehended.

Al-Qaeda maintains a presence in multiple Yemeni areas, including Wadi Hadhramaut cities, prompting military campaigns by Yemeni and coalition forces aimed at clearing these strongholds. The group continues to conduct sporadic attacks on Yemeni soldiers, notably killing four soldiers in Shabwah province in September last year and four members of the pro-separatist Security Belt forces in an IED explosion in August.