The United States has carried out 28 strikes on al-Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen in the first five months of 2018, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said.
The US campaign against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen has focused on three governorates: Hadramout (eight strikes), Al-Bayda (17), and Shabwa (three), according to The Long War Journal.
It said that in January there were a total of ten strikes on al-Qaeda and ISIS. The month after, US forces carried out six strikes. In March, there were a total of seven strikes and in April four strikes while in May only one strike was announced.
The US military has stepped up its counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen as well as ISIS since President Donald Trump took office in 2017.
Last year, the US launched 131 strikes (125 against AQAP and six against ISIS), nearly tripling the previous yearly high of 44 strikes in 2016, The Long War Journal reported.
At the current pace, the US will fall far short of that mark.
The campaign has targeted AQAP’s infrastructure, including its training camps and media operations.
The US has killed several mid-level al-Qaeda leaders and media officials in its air campaign.
