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Trump Confirms Death of Al-Qaida Affiliate Leader in Yemen

VOA News

   U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed the death of an
   al-Qaida leader in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen.

   Trump said the U.S. carried out a successful counterterrorism operation
   that killedQasimal-Rimi,a founder and the leader of al-Qaidain the
   Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and a deputy to al-Qaidaleader Ayman
   al-Zawahiri.

   "Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians
   in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the
   United States and our forces," Trump said. "His death further degrades
   AQAP and the global al-Qaidamovement, and it brings us closer to
   eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security."

   Rimi joined al-Qaida in the 1990s, working in Afghanistan for Osama bin
   Laden,and has been linked to several plots targeting Americans.

   Rimi's death is the third significant terrorist killed in a U.S.
   operation in recent months. In October,the U.S. killed Islamic State
   founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; in January,the U.S. carried out a strike
   that killed top IraniancommanderQassem Soleimani.

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