A suspected U.S. drone strike killed two men believed to be al Qaeda militants in central Yemen, local officials said early on Monday, hours after American commandos carried out the first military operation authorized by President Donald Trump.The officials said the pilot-less plane targeted a vehicle traveling in Baihan in the province of Shabwa, in which two suspected al Qaeda members were traveling. Both men were killed, they said.Al Qaeda has exploited a civil war in Yemen pitting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement against the Saudi-backed government of president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to recruit more followers and enhance its influence in the impoverished country.The United States, which sees the Yemeni branch of al Qaeda as a major threat to its regional interests, conducted dozens of drone strikes in Yemen throughout Barack Obama's presidency.It has acknowledged drone strikes to target militants, but declines to comment on specific attacks.A U.S. commando died and three were wounded during a dawn raid on Sunday in the rural Yakla district of central Yemen's al-Bayda province. The U.S. military also said that at least 14 suspected al Qaeda militants were killed. </s> DUBAI (Reuters) - A suspected U.S. drone strike killed two men believed to be al Qaeda militants in central Yemen, local officials said early on Monday, hours after American commandos carried out the first military operation authorized by President Donald Trump.

The officials said the pilotless plane targeted a vehicle traveling in Baihan in the province of Shabwa, in which two suspected al Qaeda members were traveling. Both men were killed, they said.

Al Qaeda has exploited a civil war in Yemen pitting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement against the Saudi-backed government of president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to recruit more followers and enhance its influence in the impoverished country.

The United States, which sees the Yemeni branch of al Qaeda as a major threat to its regional interests, conducted dozens of drone strikes in Yemen throughout Barack Obama's presidency.

It has acknowledged drone strikes to target militants, but declines to comment on specific attacks.

A U.S. commando died and three were wounded during a dawn raid on Sunday in the rural Yakla district of central Yemen's al-Bayda province. The U.S. military also said that at least 14 suspected al Qaeda militants were killed. </s> SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni security and tribal officials say a suspected U.S. drone strike killed two al-Qaida militants in the country's central region.

They say a missile strike early Monday morning hit a car in Shabwa province used by militants coming from Bayda province. The Yemeni officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters.

The strike came a day after U.S. forces launched a raid in Bayda that killed three alleged senior leaders of Yemen's al-Qaida branch. About 30 others also died in the action, half of them possibly civilians, including women and children.

A U.S. military service member was also killed and three others were wounded during the raid.

U.S. strikes against suspected al-Qaida targets have been common in recent years in Yemen. </s> SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni tribal leaders say a suspected U.S. drone strike has killed four alleged al-Qaida militants in the central province of Marib.

The tribal leaders said on Sunday that the alleged operatives’ charred bodies were later found after the unmanned aircraft targeted a house while they were inside in the district of al-Rawda. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemeni affiliate is known, has long been considered the global network’s most dangerous branch and has attempted to carry out attacks on the U.S. mainland.

Yemen was plunged into civil war more than three years ago. Al-Qaida and an Islamic State affiliate have exploited the chaos to expand their presence in the country.
A suspected U.S. drone strike kills four alleged al-Qaeda militants in Ma'rib.