Al Qaeda’s No. 2 in Yemen killed in airstrike
U.S. drone is believed to be behind the killing, officials said.
An airstrike killed al Qaeda’s No. 2 leader in Yemen along with six others traveling with him in one car on Monday, the Associated Press reports.
Saeed al-Shihri, a Saudi national who fought in Afghanistan and spent six years in the Guantanamo Bay military prison, was killed by a missile believed to have been fired by a U.S. unmanned drone aircraft, officials said.
U.S. drone strikes have intensified in Yemen in recent months, after the White House gave the CIA and military greater leeway to target suspected al Qaeda militants in Yemen with drones. Operators may also go after fighters in Yemen whose names aren't known but who are deemed to be high-value terrorism targets.