US DoD confirms airstrikes in Yemen

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has confirmed that the US Air Force (USAF) has conducted an airstrike against the terrorist outfit al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen.

Believed to have been targeted at a 'training camp' with more than 70 AQAP terrorists, the two strikes have collectively killed roughly 200 people, reported the Guardian.

The US DoD said in statement posted on its website: "We continue to assess the results of the operation, but our initial assessment is that dozens of AQAP fighters have been removed from the battlefield.

"This strike deals a blow to AQAP's ability to use Yemen as a base for attacks that threaten US persons, and it demonstrates our commitment to defeating al-Qa'ida and denying it safe haven."

However, Yemeni security officials were quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the airstrike hit a former military base that had been taken over by al-Qa'ida militants in the southwest part of the county.

A US-supported, Saudi Arabia-led coalition had previously conducted airstrikes in the south-eastern province of Yemen.

The strikes killed and injured an undisclosed number of people at a base located in Hajr, reported DW.com.