The raid struck the group as they met in a "deserted coastal area" some 60 kilometres (35 miles) west of the city of Mukalla, the official told AFP, adding that the militants included Al-Qaeda`s local military chief Saleh Abdul Khaleq.
In an apparent indication that the air force had been tipped off about the meeting, the official said that militants were in a leafy area "under trees," adding that the raid was conducted by Yemeni warplanes, not US drones.
An American drone on Monday killed five Qaeda militants when it struck a convoy in the area of Manaseh, east of the city of Radaa in central Yemen, according to a tribal source. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
