New Delhi, Feb 5: A senior al Qaeda operative in Yemen with a $5 million US bounty on his head was killed Thursday in one of two suspected American drone strikes in the war-torn country, published news reports said.
Jalal Belaidi, alias Abu Hamza, a top commander of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed along with two guards when their vehicle was hit in the Maraqesha area of Abyan province, the reports quoted a relative on Belaidi as saying.
A tribal source also confirmed the death of Belaidi following contact with AQAP militants in the area.
The United States is the only country known to operate armed drones over Yemen, home to AQAP, considered by Washington as the jihadist group’s most dangerous affiliate.
The US State Department said Belaidi was a regional AQAP emir, responsible for multiple provinces in Yemen.
It offered a $5-million reward for information on Belaidi over his alleged involvement in plotting bomb attacks on Western diplomatic officials and facilities in the capital Sanaa in 2013.
Born in Abyan, Belaidi served in the past as the leader of al Qaeda in Zinjibar, but he is said to have climbed the ranks of the jihadist group to became a top military commander.
Another overnight drone strike killed six suspected members of AQAP in nearby Shabwa province, a security official said.
The unmanned aircraft targeted a vehicle in Rodhoum area, killing its six passengers, the official said.
The US has kept up strikes on jihadists during months of fighting between pro-government forces and Iran-backed Huthi rebels who control large parts of Yemen, including Sanaa.
Loyalists backed by a Saudi-led coalition have recaptured Aden, Lahj and three other southern provinces from Shiite rebels since July.
