A U.S. drone strike has killed an official from al-Qaeda in Yemen.
According to Yemen's SABA news agency, Saeed al-Shihri, a Saudi national who spent six years in Guantanamo Bay, was hit during the drone attack in the city of Saada on Oct. 28.
Yemeni officials said al-Shihri, considered as al-Qaeda's No. 2 in the country, was in a coma since the October strike but died during an undisclosed date.
The confirmation of his death comes after Yemeni officials incorrectly announced al-Shihri's death back in September. A DNA test proved the body found was not al-Shihri's and he posted an audio message on numerous Jihadi websites.
His death is considered a blow to al-Qaeda's Yemen division, also known as al-Qaeda in The Arabian Peninsula. The division has been linked to the failed Christmas Day 2009 underwear bomber in Detroit.
The confirmation of al-Shihri's death comes after a drone strike on Wednesday killed five suspected militants. It is unsure if any were associated to al-Qaeda just yet.
The United Nations (UN) are set to investigate the use of drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. The investigation was ordered by several Member States, including Pakistan and two permanent members of the Security Council. The U.K. and U.S. will be investigated.
The results of the investigation will be detailed to the UN General Assembly in the fall.
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