5 al-Qaeda militants killed in Yemeni airstrike

PanARMENIAN.Net - Five al-Qaeda militants have been killed by an airstrike in the south of Yemen, officials say. The attack came days after details emerged about a Saudi mole within the network who reportedly provided information allowing the CIA to target one of its key leaders, Belfast Telegraph reported.

There was no immediate word from Washington on whether it was behind the latest pre-dawn strike, which destroyed a house in which the five were staying on the western outskirts of the town of Jaar. The town has been held by al-Qaeda militants for a year.

The identity of the five militants was not immediately known, but the officials said one of them might have been a senior member of the terror network in charge of armament.

The United States has usually used drones to strike al-Qaeda in Yemen. The security officials did not say whether it was carried out by piloted planes or drones.

The U.S. and Yemen are resuming co-operation in the fight against al-Qaeda, which has taken advantage of the political turmoil in the country to capture territory and plot attacks against U.S. targets.

Co-operation was suspended nearly a year ago during the popular uprising against the authoritarian regime of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.