DHAKA: Yemen’s Al-Qaeda branch has confirmed that a US strike killed one of its leaders at the end of last month.

It said in a statement posted on a militant website on Saturday that Qaid al-Dahab was killed by a ‘perfidious American air raid’ in the el-Manaseh region of Bayda province, along with one other person, The Straits Times publishes this report on Sunday.

Yemeni officials reported his death last month, saying the strike was likely by a US drone. They said two were killed with al-Dahab.

Al-Dahab was believed to be Al-Qaeda’s leader in the southern province of Bayda, one of its former strongholds.

The statement praised him for having waged ‘jihad’ for years, saying he had lost a hand in a previous battle.

BDST: 1432 HRS, SEPT 15, 2013
RoR/RIS