Drone kills 15 in Yemen, including 4 al Qaeda leaders

Daily Mail:
Up to 15 militants, including four Al Qaeda leaders, have been killed in an overnight airstrike in southern Yemen, it was reported today. 
An unidentified drone attacked the militants as they were travelling in two vehicles, local residents said this morning. 
The militants had been travelling east of the city of Loder in Abyan province when the attack took place.

A tribal leader said that between 12 and 15 people were killed in the attack, including at least four leaders in a local Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). 
One was identified by local tribal leaders as Abdel-Munem al-Fatahani, wanted by America for alleged links to attacks on the U.S. destroyer Cole in 2000 and a French oil tanker in 2002. 
Fatahani had survived at least two previous assassination attempts in recent years.
 
A spokesman for Al Qaeda confirmed this morning's strike but said only three members were killed and two were wounded. There was no immediate comment from Washington.

...
I suspect the drone in the attack was the more powerful Reaper which carries more Hellfire missiles.   Al Qaeda has had some other reverses in recent days in Yemen where they have previously roamed rather freely because of the failure of the Yemen forces.

The drones fly out of nearby countries where the US has recently added bases.  Oman is one of those countries.

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