U.S drone killed top al-Qaeda leader in Marib, Trump confirms in tweet

A US drone reportedly killed the top leader of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, Qassim al-Rimi, last week in the eastern province of Marib.

Sources familiar with the matter said the strike destroyed a building housing al-Rimi in Wadi Ubaidah area, known as a stronghold for al-Qaeda branch in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

According to terrorism experts, Qassim al-Rimi, has been described as a possible heir to al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, after he became leader of AQAP following a 2015 drone strike that killed Nasir al-Wuhayshi.

The news was widely spread after Donald Trump appeared on Saturday to confirm the death of Qassim al-Rimi through a series of tweets.

Reports say that al-Rimi was behind attacks on pipelines carrying oil and gas to terminals in the south of the country.