Osama aid in Yemen killed in US drone attack

Dubai: Al-Qaeda on Tuesday confirmed that its second-in-command, the chief of its powerful Yemeni branch, was killed in a US drone strike, in the heaviest blow to the jihadist network since the death of Osama bin Laden.

Already struggling with the rise of rival jihadists from the Islamic State group, al-Qaeda has suffered a series of setbacks in recent months with several commanders reported killed.

In a video statement, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula confirmed that Nasir al-Wuhayshi was dead. Wuhayshi “was killed in a US drone attack that targeted him along with two other mujahedeen,” who were also killed, the statement said.