I love the smell of vaporized jihadis in the morning.
Via LWJ:
Eleven terrorists, including four local commanders, are reported to have been killed in a US drone airstrike in a southern province in Yemen where al Qaeda’s affiliate controls significant ground.
Remotely piloted Predators or the more heavily armed Reaper fired missiles at two vehicles traveling near the city of Lawder in Abyan province, Yemeni tribesmen told Reuters and the Daily Mail. The four local commanders from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have not yet been identified. No civilians were killed or wounded in the strike.
The US has stepped up its targeting of AQAP operatives perceived to be a direct threat to the US homeland after the terror group attempted several attacks, including the failed Christmas Day airline bombing over Detroit in 2009.
AQAP has seized large areas of southern Yemen. The terror group took control of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, in May 2011, and has battled government forces to a standstill. Three Yemeni Army brigades — one infantry, one mechanized, and one armored — are involved in the fighting in Zinjibar, but have been unable to dislodge AQAP from the city.
The cities of Al Koud, Ja’ar, Shaqra, and Rawdah in Abyan are currently run by AQAP. The terror group also controls Azzan in Shabwa province.