Sustained drone attacks killed 55 al Qaeda on Sunday

Guardian:

At least 55 al-Qaida militants have been killed in Yemen, the country's interior ministry claimed after an intensive weekend air offensive in which US drones are believed to have been involved.

The operation, which started on Sunday and continued into Monday, focused on a rugged mountain area in the central and southern provinces of Yemen, where al-Qaida has been operating camps.

Several air strikes – presumed to be carried out chiefly by US drones – were launched against targets in the Mahfad region, between Abyan, Shabwa and al-Bayda provinces.

The reported deaths of 55 militants on Sunday alone would make it the biggest strike against al-Qaida militants in years.

Yemen's interior ministry said that the first strikes on Sunday lasted for several hours and claimed the lives of three prominent figures as well as dozens of other militants. It identified the three as Mohammed Salem Abed Rabbo al-Mashibi, Fawaz Hussein al-Mahrak and Saleh Said Mahrak.

The ministry said that identification of the dead was continuing, and that non-Yemeni Arab fighters were among those killed.

It said the strikes hit targets in the valley of Wadi al-Khayala and two other locations, Lodiya and Ramtha, which local tribal leaders said were at either end of the valley.

The security officials and local tribal leaders said Monday's strikes killed several militants, including one they identified as a local commander, Munnaser al-Anbouri. It was unclear how many militants died. It was possible to identify him because militants delivered his body to his family, who live in the area, the officials said.

A tribal chief from the area said flames and smoke were billowing from the location on Sunday. He said the militants had been seen in the past parking their vehicles in bushes in the area and he believed the fire was caused by the vehicles' fuel tanks. In recent weeks, he said, the militants had transported heavy weaponry to the area, including artillery.
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I suspect Reaper drones were used in the attack since they have more firepower than the older Predator drones.  It is unusual to see such a coordinated drone attack, but it shows a new level of sophistication by the planners and operators.  Al Qaeda in Yemen had become rather brazen in their open operations which made it easier for US forces to find and destroy them.