US kills ‘dozens’ of al Qaeda fighters in Yemen aistrike

The United States carried out an airstrike in Yemen on Tuesday that killed dozens of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters, the Pentagon said.

“We continue to assess the results of the operation, but our initial assessment is that dozens of AQAP fighters have been removed from the battlefield,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a written statement late Tuesday.

{mosads}“This strike deals a blow to AQAP’s ability to use Yemen as a base for attacks that threaten U.S. persons, and it demonstrates our commitment to defeating al-Qa’ida and denying it safe haven.”

AQAP is considered to be one of al Qaeda’s most dangerous branches.

The strike targeted a training camp in the mountains that was being used by more than 70 fighters, according to the statement.

The statement provided no more details of the strike.

Tuesday’s strike against AQAP follows another high-casualty airstrike earlier this month that targeted the al Qaeda-linked al Shabab in Somalia.

Yemen is in the midst of a year-long civil war, but militias in the country and the internationally recognized government agreed to a ceasefire earlier this week for the next round of negotiations.