President Trump: Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen killed by U.S. forces

WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the killing of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader, Qasim al-Rimi, in Yemen. President Trump did not provide any details of the operation. Some sources claimed that he was killed in Ma’rib, Yemen by a drone strike.

“Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces,” the Whitehouse declared in a statement.

“His death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qa’ida movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security,” read the statement, without providing any information about the time of the operation in which he was killed.

Unconfirmed reports in Yemen in recent days have mentioned that al-Rimi was killed in a drone strike in Ma’rib. A Yemeni government official stated that a drone strike had occurred in Ma’rib, but al-Rimi was not killed in this strike.