HIT IN DRONE STRIKES
By AHMED AL-HAJ
FILE – In this Nov. 8, 2011 file photo, a Predator B unmanned aircraft taxis at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas. Two U.S. drone strikes killed a total of nine suspected al-Qaida militants Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013, a Yemeni military official said, the sixth and seventh such attacks in less than two weeks as the Arab nation is on high alert against terrorism. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Senior Yemeni officials say at least seven Saudi Arabian militants were among those killed in the wave of U.S. drone strikes targeting al-Qaida’s local offshoot.
The officials say intelligence suggests Saudis are increasingly converging in neighboring Yemen either to funnel funds or to receive training in al-Qaida camps.
Since July 27, drone attacks have killed 34 suspected militants, according to an Associated Press count based on information provided by Yemeni security officials.
The action against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula comes amid a global terror alert issued by Washington, which temporarily closed several diplomatic posts in the Middle East and Africa. The U.S. and Britain also evacuated diplomatic staff Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
