Confirmed: US Conducts 20 'Precision Strikes' Against al-Qaeda in Yemen

The US military has carried out 20 airstrikes in Yemen against the positions of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (banned in Russia), US Department of Defense Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said in a press release on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, media reported that US warplanes had attacked the group.

"US forces conducted a series of precision strikes in Yemen against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, in the early morning of March 2 (Yemen time)," Davis stated. "More than 20 strikes targeted AQAP militants, equipment and infrastructure in the Yemeni governorates of Abyan, Al Bayda and Shabwah."

The spokesperson noted that the strikes were coordinated with the Yemeni government and President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

"The strikes will degrade the AQAP's ability to coordinate external terror attacks and limit their ability to use territory seized from the legitimate government of Yemen as a safe space for terror plotting," Davis concluded.

This is not the first air raid by US warplanes in Yemen this year.

On January 29, President Donald Trump’s administration ordered its first military raid against the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) terror group in Yemen, which is banned in Russia. It resulted in the death of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens.

During the operation, US special operations forces killed 14 militants as well as civilians, including the eight-year-old daughter of previously assassinated al-Qaeda leader Anwar Awlaki. They US military also experienced an aircraft crash-landing. According to media reports, the operation's goal was to capture or kill the group's leader Qassim Rimi, who is considered the third most dangerous terrorist in the world and a master recruiter. However, he survived.

The AQAP was established in 2009 and has been condemned as a terrorist organization by the United States, Russia and many other nations.