ADEN, March 23

A US air strike on an Al-Qaeda training camp in Yemen has killed at least 40 fighters, in a major blow to the jihadists who have been expanding their territory in the war-torn country.

The extremists have exploited a security vacuum in the Arabian Peninsula nation since Iran-backed Houthi Shiite rebels seized the capital in September 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government to flee.

Tuesday’s strike in Hajr in the vast southeastern province of Hadramawt killed at least 40 militants and wounded 25 more, a provincial official told AFP.

A tribal source, who confirmed the toll, said the casualties were new Al-Qaeda recruits training at the camp, adding that “other fighters survived the strike.” Dozens of Al-Qaeda militants were seen rushing to hospital to donate blood, according to residents.

Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is regarded by Washington as the network’s most dangerous branch, and has carried out deadly attacks on the West in the past.

It has taken advantage of the war between the Huthis and pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition to expand in the south, seizing parts of Hadramawt including its provincial capital Mukalla in April last year.

‘Unacceptable’ expansion

The United States has waged a long-standing drone war against AQAP militants, killing several of its leaders.

But Tuesday’s raid was unusual because US strikes usually target a small number of suspected Al-Qaeda members while they are travelling in a vehicle.

“The Americans felt that Al-Qaeda has started to expand its influence in an unacceptable manner after it established fixed camps to train its supporters,” said Mustafa al-Ani, an analyst at the Gulf Research Centre.

He said Tuesday’s strike was the first by Washington in nearly a year against a fixed Al-Qaeda position in Hadramawt.

The Pentagon said the camp was used by more than 70 fighters.

The raid “deals a blow to AQAP’s ability to use Yemen as a base for attacks” that threaten US citizens, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement.

“We continue to assess the results of the operation, but our initial assessment is that dozens of AQAP fighters have been removed from the battlefield,” he added.