ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. airstrikes have killed on Wednesday six Islamic State (IS) militants in Yemen's central province of al-Bayda, a military official told Xinhua.
The unmanned aircraft conducted two raids and hit an IS terrorist hideout in Qayfa area of al-Bayda province, with six militants killed at the scene, the Yemeni military source said on condition of anonymity.
He said that most of the killed were IS members and were involved in establishing new training centers in al-Bayda province.
However, a tribal chief told Xinhua by phone that the six militants may possibly be al-Qaida militants.
The central province of al-Bayda and southeastern Shabwa, where dozens of al-Qaida and IS members are believed to be based, have been the focus of U.S.-led airstrikes.
Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East.
The Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known locally as "Ansar al-Sharia," emerged in January 2009, and has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks against Yemen's army and governmental institutions.
The AQAP and IS-linked terrorists took advantage of the security vacuum and ongoing civil war to expand their influence and seize more territories in southern Yemen.
Security in Yemen has further deteriorated since March 2015, when a war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.
Over 10,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, many of them civilians.
