US aircraft bombard Al Qaeda positions in Yemen

US aircraft bombarded Al Qaeda positions in southern and central Yemen on Friday, sources said.

There was an undetermined number of dead and wounded, including civilians and fighters of the terror group, the sources told Efe news.

The air strikes destroyed homes in mountainous areas in three provinces -- Shebwa, Abyan, al-Bayda, witnesses said.

Al Qaeda members responded to the planes by firing anti-aircraft guns.

Amid the shelling in Shebwa, the aircraft destroyed a building material factory, as well as one gas station and a weapons store.

Dozens of families left the areas due to the attack and fled to the city of Ataq, capital of Shebwa.

On Thursday, US bombings took place in the same provinces where at least nine members of Al Qaeda were killed during the attack.

This is the second US ground operation in Yemen since Donald Trump became president, after another attack in January in which a US soldier was killed, as well as 14 Al Qaeda militants.

--IANS

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