Yemen Confirms Killing Of Six Al-Qaeda Leaders

Yemen's Interior Ministry confirmed today the death of Al-Qaeda's military chief in the country, Qassem al-Rimi, and that of five of his lieutenants in a January 15 airstrike.

In a statement on its website, the ministry said Rimi had died when a missile struck his vehicle in the eastern part of Saada Province.

Yemen has stepped up its campaign against Al-Qaeda militants based in the country since the United States accused the group "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" of training a Nigerian youth who attempted to blow up a U.S. airliner on December 25.

compiled from agency reports