An airstrike killed three al-Qaida Yemeni militants Saturday in the central province of Marib, hours after al-Qaida claimed responsibility for killing 14 Yemeni soldiers in an ambush Friday in the country’s south.
A Yemen security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not specify whether the strike was conducted by Yemeni or U.S. aircraft, according to the Associated Press. The United States supplies counter-terrorism training and equipment to combat the insurgency.
Saturday’s raid targeted a house in the Obeida Valley, where the al-Qaida offshoot is prevalent.
Yemeni authorities said that militants on Friday ambushed the soldiers' bus that was taking them on vacation from the city of Sayoun to the capital city, Sanaa, the AP said.
A website affiliated with the group showed photos of militants checking the soldiers’ identification cards and then leading them off the bus. The soldiers were shot to death near the ancient city of Shibam in the southern province of Hadramawt.
At least 25 al-Qaida militants had been killed at or near Sayoun since Thursday, Yemen’s Defense Ministry said. The AP reported the ministry had been beefing up troops there after getting reports that al-Qaida intended to take over Hadramawt province.
Al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula is considered the world's most dangerous affiliate of the terror group.
