DHAKA: Al-Qaeda has confirmed that Nasser al-Wuhayshi, the leader of its offshoot in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed in a US drone strike in Yemen.

His death was announced by the AQAP group in an online video. His successor was named as military chief Qasim al-Raymi, reports the BBC.

Wuhayshi was seen as al-Qaeda’s second-in-command and was a former personal assistant to Osama Bin Laden.

He built one of the most active al-Qaeda branches, said US officials.

In Yemen, resurgent al-Qaeda militants have seized territory and infrastructure - indirectly assisted by Saudi-led air strikes on the rebel Houthi movement, their Shia Muslim foes.

But the deaths of a number of leading figures in AQAP in recent months have reportedly fuelled rumours among supporters that it has been successfully targeted by intelligence agencies.

BDST: 1844 HRS, JUNE 16, 2015
BD/