Tribal leaders said on Saturday a suspected US drone strikedestroyed a building housing al-Qaeda militants last week in easternYemen.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, retweeted several tweetsand media reports that seemed to offer confirmation the January 25 strikekilled top al-Qaeda leader Qassim al-Rimi.
The tribal leaders said the drone strike took place in theWadi Ubaidah area in the eastern province of Marib. The area is known asa stronghold for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, as the Yemeniaffiliate is known.
They said at least three explosions rocked the area, andthat the building was set ablaze.
It was not immediately clear how many militants were in thebuilding at the time or their identities. The tribal leaders said a handful ofal-Qaeda militants arrived at the area directly after the strike and cordonedoff the area.
The tribal leaders spoke on condition of anonymity becausethey feared reprisals.
