Al Qaeda mourns death of top commander in Yemen

Date

2/6/2016 6:06:49 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) File picture ofJalal Baleedi who was killed by drone strike in Yemen

DUBAI: Al Qaeda's branch in the ArabianPeninsula (AQAP) mourned the killing of a senior commander insouthern Yemen a statement distributed on social media showedafter he was reported dead in a suspected US drone strike lastweek.

Jalal Baleedi was killed by a drone strike as he wastravelling in a car with two others in coastal Abyan provinceresidents said on Thursday. He had run al Qaeda's combatoperations and had a $5 million US bounty on his head.

"We extend condolences to our Muslim community andspecifically our people in Yemen...regarding the killing of theheroic commander Jalal Baleedi al-Marqishi...who was killed in acrusader strike that targeted him while he was among the sons ofhis tribe in Abyan province" the statement said.

During nine months of civil war and a Gulf militaryintervention in Yemen the United States has kept up dronestrikes against jihadist groups.

Reuters

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.