SANA, Yemen — Three U.S. drone strikes killed a total of 12 suspected al-Qaeda militants Thursday, a Yemeni military official said, raising to eight the number of such attacks in less than two weeks as the Arab nation is on high alert.
The uptick in drone strikes signals that the Obama administration is stepping up its efforts to target Yemen’s al-Qaeda offshoot amid fears of attacks after the interception of a message between its leader and the global leader of the terrorism network.
Since July 27, drone attacks have killed 34 suspected militants, according to an Associated Press count provided by Yemeni officials.
The Yemeni military official said the first drone attack killed six alleged militants in central Marib province, while the second killed three more in the al-Ayoon area of Hadramawt province in the south. The third killed three others in the al-Qutn area of Hadramawt, he said.
