Al Qaeda commander in Yemen killed

Yemeni armed forces have killed Said al-Shehri, a Saudi national seen as the second-in-command of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a government website said yesterday.

The ministry of defence said Shehri was killed yesterday, along with six other militants, in what it called a “qualitative operation” by the army in the remote Hadramout province in eastern Yemen.

The militant group, which has planned attacks on international targets including airliners, is described by the US as the most dangerous wing of al Qaeda.