DUBAI - Al-Qaida's branch in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) mourned the killing of a senior commander in southern Yemen, a statement distributed on social media showed, after he was reported dead in a suspected US drone strike last week. Jalal Baleedi was killed by a drone strike as he was traveling in a car with two others in coastal Abyan province, residents said on Thursday. He had run al-Qaida's combat operations and had a $5 million US bounty on his head. 'We extend condolences to our Muslim community and specifically our people in Yemen...regarding the killing of the heroic commander Jalal Baleedi al-Marqishi...who was killed in a crusader strike that targeted him while he was among the sons of his tribe in Abyan province,' the statement said. During nine months of civil war and a Gulf military intervention in Yemen, the United States has kept up drone strikes against jihadist groups.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)