Yemen: At least 3 suspected militants killed by drone strike

A suspected US drone strike killed at least three alleged Al Qaeda militants in northern Yemen, according to Yemeni officials and local tribesman.

The Associated Press reported that the airstrike targeted a house in northern Yemen, killing three people. At least two were reported to be Saudis.

"Three Al-Qaeda suspects were killed in three separate drone strikes in Saada," a tribal source told Agence France Presse. Another source said the strike was the first by a US drone in the Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia.

Sheikh Fares Manaa, the governor of Saada, confirmed that "three members of Al Qaeda were killed in an air raid."

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The governor also claimed that a local leader of the militant network, Omar Saleh al-Tiss, was wounded in the strike.

Reuters reported that four suspected militants were killed. According to Reuters, some reports suggested that Hadi al-Tais, a local Al Qaeda commander, was the target of the attack. There was no confirmation as to whether he was among the dead.

AFP noted that Yemen's north is home to the Huthis, Shiite Zaidi rebels who fought with Yemen's central government before signing a truce in February 2010.

The US has been using drone strikes against Al Qaeda-linked militants in southern Yemen since the unrest following President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ouster led to rebels seizing large pieces of territory, Reuters noted.

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