Airstrike Kills al-Qaeda No. 2: Yemen

Yemeni officials say an airstrike has killed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's No. 2 leader, along with five others traveling with him in a car. Defense Ministry officials say today's attack killed the deputy, Saudi national Saeed al-Shihri, as he left a house in the southern Hadramawt province. They say the missile was believed to have been fired by a US operated drone.

The US doesn't usually comment on such attacks, but has used drones in the past to go after al-Qaeda members in Yemen. Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch is seen as the world's most active, planning and carrying out attacks against targets in and outside US territory. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. (More Yemen stories.)