The United States has killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), President Donald Trump said.
Qasim al-Raimi, who has led the jihadist group since 2015, was killed in a US operation in Yemen, the White House said.
The jihadist leader had been linked to a series of attacks on Western interests in the 2000s.
He took over the leadership after his predecessor was killed by a US drone strike.
Rumours of al-Raymi’s death in a US drone strike began circulating in late January. In response, AQAP released an audio message with al-Raimi’s voice on 2 February, which may have been recorded earlier.
But the statement from the White House has now confirmed al-Raymi’s death but did not say when he was killed.
Read full statement from White House here
Read more via The White House/BBC/ CNN
