Al Qaeda leader killed in Yemen

(Vatican Radio) The man described as the second-in-command of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has been killed during an army operation in Hadramout province in eastern Yemen. No other details were provided by the Yemini government, which posted a short message on their website confirming the death of Said al-Shehri. Al-Qaida's Yemen-based network, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, remains active in southern Yemen, which has been the scene of major clashes between militants and government forces. Suspected militants have carried out suicide bombings and targeted government officials for assassination. It is believed that Shehri was killed in the operation last Wednesday and that a U.S. drone was involved. Listen to regional correspondent Nathan Morley's report:

In May, US President Barack Obama said the United States was very worried about al-Qaeda terrorism and extremism in Yemen. Obama says Yemen is drawing foreign terrorists who once might have gone to Pakistan's border area, where insurgents gather to fight NATO forces in Afghanistan. Unmanned aircraft provided by the United States have been assisting Yemeni forces fighting against al-Qaida and other militants in remote sections of the country. Shehri had been a prisoner at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. He was turned over to Saudi Arabia's custody in 2007 and sent to a rehabilitation program for militants run by Saudi authorities. In recent years, Shehri has recorded messages on behalf of al-Qaida threatening violence against Saudi Arabian nationals, Israeli targets and Yemen's government. The majority of Yemen's population is divided into tribal groups, especially in the northern areas of the country where 85% of local residents belong to various tribes.