SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni forces, reportedly backed by U.S. drone strikes, hit al-Qaeda militants for a second straight day Monday in what Yemen officials said was an assault on a major base of the terror group hidden in the remote southern mountains. The government said 55 militants were killed so far.
The sprawling base was a rare instance of a permanent infrastructure set up by al-Qaeda’s branch in the country, Yemeni security officials said. Built in the past months, it includes a training ground, storehouses for weapons and food and vehicles used by the group to launch attacks, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media.
The assault appeared to be a significant escalation in the U.S. and Yemeni campaign against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the terror group’s powerful branch in the southern Arabian nation. The United States has been striking al-Qaeda positions in the country heavily with drones the past two years, trying to cripple the group after it was driven out of several southern cities it took over in 2011.
