The United States has carried out airstrikes for a second consecutive day against suspected al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, according to the US Defense Department, leaving an unknown number of civilians injured.
The US military conducted over 30 strikes against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula over the past two nights in Shabwah, Abyan and Bayda provinces, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said at a news briefing on Friday.
“This is part of a plan to go after this very real threat and ensure they are defeated,” Davis said.
“Make no mistake, while we talk a lot about ISIS (ISIL), AQAP is the organization that has more American blood on its hands. It is a deadly terrorist organization that has proven itself to be very effective in targeting and killing Americans,” he added.
The AQAP has taken advantage of the chaos and breakdown of security in Yemen to tighten its grip on the southern and southeastern parts of the crisis-hit country.
Residents in a…