US strike kills 40 Qaeda militants at Yemen camp

Aden : 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 Huthi 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 40militants 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 (AQAP) 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.