A U.S. drone strike in northern Yemen on Wednesday killed at least six suspected al Qaeda militants, according to local sources.
The United States drone program in Yemen has accelerated further in 2013, with at least 20 suspected militants killed this week alone. Since last Saturday strikes have been reported on a daily basis.
The latest attack targeted a vehicle in a rural area of the country close to the capital Sanaa. “The vehicle was totally destroyed and the corpses were burned beyond recognition,” a local source told Reuters.
Yemen is home to one of the most active national cells of al Qaeda. In 2011 the group took control of large parts of the country during anti-government unrest, but where subsequently pushed back in a US-backed offensive last June.
Although the government of Yemen tolerates US drone strikes on its soil, public opinion is firmly against them. Many ordinary Yemenis believe that the strikes often kill civilians, and anger is running high. Armed tribesmen have taken to the streets in protest twice already this year, most recently on Saturday when they blocked a main road between Maarib and Sanaa.
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