Al-Qaida leader declared dead

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — 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 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.

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.