Feel good story of the day.

(Reuters) – An al Qaeda leader and four militants were killed in a U.S. drone strike on their vehicle south of Yemen’s capital Sanaa late on Wednesday, a government official said.

Washington has stepped up attacks on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – considered by Western governments to be one of the most dangerous arms of the global militant network.

The group exploited widespread anti-government protests in 2011 to seize swathes of territory in the southern part of Yemen, before being driven back in a U.S.-backed offensive in June last year.

The leader, named as Hamid al-Radmi, died with four of his followers in the town of Wessab in Dhamar province, the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.