U.S Pentagon stresses the killing of Qaeda’s leader

U.S Pentagon revealed the killing of Qaeda’s prominent leader Yasser Ali Al Salmi, known as Aboul Mouhajer Al Ebbi, during an air raid launched by the American fighter jets against the group’s strongholds near the Yemeni city of Aden.

Pentagon’s Spokesperson Jeff Davis said, in a press statement on Monday, that American fighter jets launched air raids on March 2 on sites controlled by Qaeda near Aben, saying that the raids led to the killing of the group’s military leaders, including Salmi who was imprisoned in Guantanamo Prison between 2002 and 2009.

The U.S. military is deepening its involvement in Yemen, with escalating counterterrorism strikes targeting an al-Qaeda affiliate that’s gained ground in the chaos of the country’s civil war.

U.S. forces carried out more than 30 strikes by airplanes and drones in the past week in southern and central provinces, said Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. The strikes followed the first commando operation Donald Trump approved as president, a January 28 raid against the terrorist group by the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 in which a U.S. serviceman was killed.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP, has taken advantage of more than two years of fighting between Shiite Houthi rebels and President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi’s government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, Davis said. The U.S. provides the Saudi-led coalition with logistical and intelligence support, but not troops. It’s been estimated that at least 10,000 civilians have been killed in the fighting since the Saudi-led coalition began airstrikes in March 2015.

On the other hand, Spokesperson of Arab Coalition Ahmed Al Essiry blamed the Iranian actions for the terrorism witnessed in the region, stressing that Saudi Arabia and other members of the coalition resume their support for Yemen until achieving stability.

He added, in a statement, that the Iranian policies are the major reason behind the state of instability witnessed in the region as whole, calling the international community for realizing the threat posed by Hezbollah as one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in all over the world.

He added, “The Iranian regime acknowledged its support for Hezbollah. It currently attempts to repeat the same model on Saudi southern borders through forming the Houthi militias in Yemen to destabilize the Saudi security.” He stressed that Saudi Arabia and other members of Arab Coalition will resume their support for Yemen, saying that they cooperate with the United Nations to provide the humanitarian aids to the Yemeni people.