Yemeni forces kill Al-Qaeda kingpin: governor

Yemeni security forces have killed the head of an Al-Qaeda cell in the eastern province of Shabwa, the governor of the province said on Wednesday.

Yemeni security forces have killed the head of an Al-Qaeda cell in the eastern province of Shabwa, the governor of the province said on Wednesday.

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"Abdullah Mehdar was killed last night by security forces which had besieged the house he hid in," Governor Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi told reporters.

Mehdar was the leader of an Al-Qaeda cell in al-Houta region, in the province of Shabwa, 600 kilometres (375 miles) east of Sanaa.

Security forces were hunting for the remaining members of the cell, Ahmadi said.

The Al-Qaeda branch in Yemen claimed responsibility for the botched Christmas Day attack on a US airliner, with the United States accusing the group of training the alleged perpetrator, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.