US drone kills 6 suspected al-Qaeda militants in Yemen

Yemeni soldiers search a motorbike at a checkpoint in Sanaa Sanaa – Ali Rabea A US drone strike on Thursday in Yemen\'s southeast province of Marib has killed at least six suspected al-Qaeda militants, officials have said. It was the sixth such attack in Yemen in less than two weeks, and comes amid tight security in the capital Sanaa, with fears of an al-Qaeda attack on foreign facilities
Tribal sources in Marib told Arab Today that the US drone hit a vehicle carrying suspected al-Qaeda militants, killing six people, including at least one Saudi national.
The bodies of the victims could not be identified, locals said, adding that another vehicle carrying unknown gunmen, suspected to be al-Qaeda members moved the attacked vehicle to an unknown place.
The US strike is the sixth such attack to hit Yemen in less than two weeks, and the third during this week.  On Wednesday, six militants were killed in two separate drone strikes in the eastern province of Shabwa. A local security officer said senior al-Qaeda members were not killed in the attack.
The total number of alleged al-Qaeda militants killed in US drone strikes has risen to 30 since the last strikes.
Most of the Western embassies in Sanaa have been closed since the beginning of the week, warning their citizens against travelling to Yemen, while the interior ministry has tightened up security measures around embassies.
On Wednesday, the Dutch foreign ministry announced that the Dutch embassy in Sanaa, is being evacuated because of a terror threat.
In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the Dutch foreign ministry said that the evacuation follows information which suggests a number of western countries, including the Netherlands, are potential terrorist targets, advising all Dutch nationals in Yemen to leave the country, including the embassy staff.
Yemen\'s Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi criticised measures taken by a number of Western countries, including those closing their embassies in Yemen, saying they had not helped the fight against terrorism in Yemen.
Meanwhile, Yemen\'s interior ministry said on its website that the security forces were able to identify the tribal gunmen who shot down an army helicopter in Marib on Tuesday, killing at least 10 soldiers including a senior military official.
The ministry added that the four suspects believed to be from the Wadi Obeidah region would be brought to justice.