News / Yemen / News

US drone strike kills two in Yemen's southeast

Wednesday, 20 January 2016 9:41 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 20 January 2016 11:55 AM ]

A Yemeni man inspects the damage at a sports hall that was partially destroyed by Saudi airstrikes in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, on January 19, 2016. (AFP photo)

The United States has carried out a drone strike in southeast Yemen, killing at least two people, military sources say.

The US drone targeted a vehicle in the town of Qatn in Hadhramaut Province on Wednesday, military sources said, adding that the victims were travelling in the vehicle.

The development came after Yemeni sources said earlier on Wednesday that forces fighting against Saudi Arabia and its mercenaries in Yemen shot down a spy drone flying over the capital, Sana’a.

The US carries out airstrikes using assassination drones in Yemen and several other Muslim countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Washington claims the drones target al-Qaeda militants, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks in most cases.

The raids have continued alongside the Saudi military aggression against Yemen, which began in late March 2015.

A Yemeni rescuer searches for victims under the rubble of the police headquarters after the building was struck overnight by Saudi airstrikes on January 18, 2016 in Sana'a. (AFP photo)

The impoverished country has been under constant airstrikes by the Saudi warplanes since March 26, 2015. More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others wounded ever since.

The Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has exploited the volatile atmosphere and the conflict in Yemen since the beginning of the Saudi war to tighten its grip on parts of Yemen.

The Saudi military strikes have been meant to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to the fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.

Yemeni army soldiers alongside fighters from popular committees have been fighting the Takfiri militants, carrying out retaliatory attacks against Saudi positions on the border region as well.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk