The United States has carried out eight airstrikes in Yemen this year targeting the al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) terrorist group, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a press release on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2019) The United States has carried out eight airstrikes in Yemen this year targeting the al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) terrorist group, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a press release on Monday."US Central Command conducted 8 total airstrikes in Yemen in 2019 targeting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)," the release said. "All strikes this year targeted AQAP terrorists. The Jan. 1 strike targeted Jamal al-Badawi, one of the planners involved in the USS Cole bombing."
The two air strikes, the release added, were launched in January while the other six were carried out in March.
"The January air strikes took place in Marib and Al Bayda Governates respectively," the release said. "The March airstrikes took place in Al Bayda Governate."
Last year, US forces carried out a total of 36 airstrikes in Yemen, according to the release.
Since 2015, the United States has provided members of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen with assistance such as intelligence sharing, logistics support and, until recently, aerial refueling, the release said.
Yemen has been engulfed in a violent conflict between the government headed by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Shiite Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, backed by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, for several years. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.
The intense fighting between the two sides resulted in one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises, with about 22 million people in Yemen currently in need of some form of humanitarian assistance or protection, according to UN figures.
