Six Yemenis injured in US drone attack

PressTV

At least six Yemeni civilians have been wounded in a non-UN-sanctioned US drone attack in Abyan Province in south of the country.

The Saturday strike came after a US decision to escalate drone attacks in Yemen, under the pretext of curbing what it calls a growing terror threat in the country.

In Mid-June the Central Intelligence Agency said it was preparing to take charge of the drone strikes in Yemen.

Since December 2009, US strikes in Yemen have been carried out by the US military with intelligence support from the CIA. Now, the spy agency will carry out aggressive drone strikes itself alongside the military campaign, which has been stepped up in recent weeks after a nearly yearlong hiatus.

The Yemeni government has denounced the use of the drone attacks by the American forces.

Officials with Yemen's Defense Ministry have confirmed that the US has been launching drone strikes on a daily basis against the nation in June, with more than 15 confirmed strikes already this month. The deputy governor of Abyan Province said that at least 130 were killed in those attacks.

Although, Washington claims its drone attacks are aimed at targeting militants, civilians have also fallen victims to the strikes. According to the Yemeni officials, 28 out of more than 60 civilians killed in the US drone attacks are children.