US COMMANDOS killed seven al-Qaida militants in an overnight ground in Yemen yesterday, the Pentagon confirmed.

The US Central Command said the raid in central Marib province used “a combination of small arms fire and precision air strikes” to attack a compound used by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) — the group’s Yemen branch.

Explosions were heard in the al-Sirim area in Marib, followed by helicopters and gunfire. Yemeni security officials said there was also bombing in nearby Bayda province.