'57 dead' in US raid on Qaeda in Yemen
A US raid in Yemen killed 41 suspected al-Qaeda militants and 16 civilians yesterday, an official said, in what would be America's first military action in the country under President Donald Trump.
Eight women and eight children were among those killed in the dawn raid in Yakla district, in the central province of Baida, said the provincial official, who did not want to be named, and tribal sources.
Sources in the region said the raid targeted the houses of three tribal chiefs linked to al-Qaeda.
The provincial official said Apache helicopters also struck a school, a mosque and a medical facility which were all used by al-Qaeda militants.
Other sources spoke of US commandos taking part in the operation, but it was not possible to verify the information.
Meanwhile, fierce battles between Yemeni government forces and Shia rebels on the country's west coast have killed more than 100 fighters in the past 24 hours, officials said yesterday. The bodies of at least 90 Huthi rebels were taken to a hospital in the Red Sea city of Hodeida, which is controlled by the insurgents, while 19 dead soldiers were taken to the southern port city of Aden, the medical and military sources said.
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