Yemen - air strike

34 alleged Al-Qaeda fighters killed in air strike

Article published on the 2009-12-24 Latest update 2009-12-24 17:19 TU

(Map: RFI)

Yemeni forces say they killed 34 suspected members of Al-Qaeda in a raid early on Thursday. A security source said the raid was carried out at dawn in Yemen's Shabwa province, when dozens of would-be Al-Qaeda members were meeting in Wafi Rafadh, about 650 kilometres east of the capital, Sanaa.

Security sources also claim that the head of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula, Nasser al-Wahishi and his deputy Saeed al-Saudi Shahrani, was present at the meeting. A separate source says the local population supplied information to authorities, tipping them off that the meeting was taking place.

The Yemeni defence ministry confirmed the raid but did not give a death toll while Yemeni officials said those at the meeting "planned to launch attacks against economic installations in Yemen".

Earlier this month an air strike in Abyan province killed dozens, with Yemeni government officials saying Al-Qaeda members were among the dead while locals said 49 civilians had been killed, including women and children.

The New York Times says that US President Barack Obama has approved weapons and intelligence support for Yemen's attacks on suspected Al-Qaeda fighters.