Three Drone Strikes Hit Al Qaeda Targets, US Officials Say; 12 Killed - World News
The U.S. launched three drone strikes Thursday against al Qaeda militant targets in Yemen, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The three strikes killed a total of 12 suspected militants, according to reports from Yemen, and raised to eight the number of attacks in less than two weeks as the Arab nation is on high alert against a suspected terrorist threat.
U.S. officials suggest the latest wave of drone airstrikes is the result of intelligence gathered in the electronic interception last week of high-level al Qaeda communications, which suggested a terrorist plot.
The officials say there is no evidence any of those killed could be considered among al Qaeda leadership.
The Obama administration has ramped up its efforts to target Yemen’s al Qaeda affiliate — known as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula —after the interception of a message between its leader and the global leader of the terror network, according to The Associated Press.
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