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Sanaa, Yemen • Yemen's al-Qaida branch says one of its local commanders has died from wounds he suffered during an attack by the Yemeni army and U.S. drones.
A Twitter account associated with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula issued a message saying Ali bin Likra al-Kazimy died Saturday after a military attack on one of its camps in the town of Mahfad last week.
Mahfad, where al-Kazimy was the leader, is located in a mountainous region in the country's south.
Government officials confirmed al-Kazimy's death.
The Yemeni army, backed by U.S. drone strikes and supported by local tribes, recently launched a campaign to drive al-Qaida out of the southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa.
The U.S. considers Yemen's al-Qaida branch as the world's most dangerous.