Drone strike kills five in Yemen

A suspected US drone strike in western Yemen has killed five al-Qaeda militants, including a local chief, a security official and witnesses said yesterday.
The raid that took place late Wednesday in Dhamar province, killed Hamid Radman al-Manea, known as al-Radmi, and four of his guards, the official said in a statement carried by Saba state news agency.
US drones strikes in Yemen nearly tripled in 2012 compared with 2011, from 18 to 53, according to the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think-tank.