Yemen confirms 'most wanted' AQAP commander killed in CIA drone strike

Sanaa, Apr 25 (ANI): Yemen has confirmed that a top Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) member has been killed in an airstrike, which is believed to have been conducted by the CIA, indicating the US drone campaign in the Islamic nation is gaining momentum.

According to statement issued by Yemen Embassy in Washington, Mohammed Al-Umda was killed in an airstrike on Sunday.

The strike targeted the SUV he was riding in as part of a 'militant convoy' in a remote desert region of southern Yemen.

The embassy statement did not identify who conducted the airstrike, but US officials said a CIA drone conducted it.

Al-Umda was described in the Yemeni Embassy statement as one of AQAP's 'top commanders, tasked with providing logistical and financial support' and as having commanded a number of AQAP 's military operations in Yemen.

He was described in the statement as having been 'ranked 4th on Yemen's most wanted list'.

The Washington Post had reported recently that the CIA is planning to expand its drone targeting program over Yemen beyond targeted 'personality' strikes to include 'signature strikes' that target patterns of suspicious behavior by terrorism suspects.

Meanwhile, The Long War Journal, a website that tracks US drone strikes in Yemen, revealed America has carried out at least six airstrikes in Yemen in the month of April, making for a total of 13 so far this year. (ANI)