Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — The United States is said to have killed a leading
operative of Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

Officials said Saleh Al Gohary was killed in a strike by a U.S.-origin
Predator unmanned aerial vehicle on June 19. They said Al Gohary’s car was struck as he was fleeing the Yemen Army in the south.

“This was a painful blow to Al Qaida terrorists in Yemen,” a Yemeni
statement said.

The statement said Al Gohary was believed to have been responsible for suicide bombings in Sanaa and other provinces. Al Gohary was said to have been carrying weapons, explosives and maps.

Sanaa has asserted successful operations against AQAP in June 2011.
Officials said senior commanders have been either killed or arrested, two of them identified as Nizar Abdul Rahman and Majid Kulaisa.

“Abdul Rahman was regarded as one of the most dangerous terrorists in Yemen,” an official said.

AQAP was said to have planned the bombings of several Western and Arab
embassies in Sanaa. Officials said the plot was linked to Al Gohary.

  Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Majid Kulaisa, Nizar Abdul Rahman, Saleh Al Gohary, Sanaa, U.S. Predator drone takes out Al Qaida terrorist in Yemen