"The United States conducted a counter-terrorism operation in Yemen that successfully eliminated Qasim al-Rimi, a founder and the leader of Al-Qa'ida (Al-Qaeda) in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and a deputy to Al-Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri," White House said in a statement on Thursday.
Qassim al-Rimi was founder of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Rimi's death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qaeda movement, the statement added.
“We will continue to protect the American people by tracking down and eliminating terrorists who seek to do us harm,“ Trump said. While Trump confirmed reports about elimination of al-Rimi, he did not revealed how or when the US operation was conducted.
The US officials claimed that Rimi had committed crimes against civilians in Yemen and has conducted several attacks on the United States forces.
"Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces," the statement read.
Last month, Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force, was killed in a US drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump at Baghdad International Airport.