US air raid kills 8 suspected militants in Hadramout

US drone strike kills 8 suspected militants. Sanaa – Ali Rabea At least eight people were killed in a U.S. air raid by unmanned aircraft in Hadramout governorate (eastern Yemen) on Friday. The deceased are believed to be members of al-Qaeda heading to the city of Marib. This is the third raid launched by US aircraft this week.Local sources in the area of “Alka Shah" near the city of Sayoun at the center of Hadramout said: "The unmanned aircraft is likely to be American. It bombed a car "with eight people inside. The car and bodies were fully burnt.
Sources said  local people close to the area in which the rocket fell rushed to the scene as soon as they heard a loud explosion and saw the eight bodies. The extent of   the burns on the bodies made the deceased unidentifiable. When security forces arrived at the scene six of the bodies were transported to the hospital in Sayoun although the damage to the two other bodies prevented their transferal.
The Yemeni army website quoted a security source who confirmed: “Eight terrorists were killed Friday morning as they were members of al-Qaeda. They were in ."possession of their own weapons including a machine gun, ammunition and other explosives. It is likely the group was on its way to carry out a terrorist operation
On Tuesday and Wednesday unmanned US aircraft carried out two similar air raids during which at least seven people believed to be from al-Qaeda were killed and  the weapons in their possession were destroyed.
Local sources said on Wednesday night that the raid that was carried out by American unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and killed five people. Two of those killed had nothing to do with al-Qaeda and were negotiating with three members of the extremist organisation to leave their region. One of the two innocent men was
Salem bin Ahmed Jaber, an Imam at a mosque in the area according to a statement issued by the Union of Religion Scientists and Advocates of the Southern
.Governorates
The statement said he has nothing to do with al-Qaeda and claimed he is known to be moderate who delivered a sermon last Friday denouncing extremism and
terrorism.
The air raids carried out by American UAVs in Yemen are subject to increasing local concern. They are politically condemned because America violates the
sovereignty of Yemen and kills innocent civilians by mistake. The Yemeni government does not deny its involvement and says that the air strikes are carried out in coordination with Yemeni intelligence and security services. Yemen's government describes the strikes as within the framework of security cooperation in order to face the growing activity of al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi assured that his country’s government is ready for talks with al-Qaeda although al-Qirbi stated: "The talks cannot begin unless they stop violence and terrorism, you cannot negotiate with someone who still threatens you with terrorism and violence.”
Al-Qirbi in an interview with a foreign television channel on Wednesday admitted that the Yemeni government uses the aid of American aircrafts. He said: "When necessary and if there is a need to use unmanned aircraft, Yemen does not own such aircrafts and uses the aid of the US in tracking the criminals that plan terrorist acts."