SANA'A, Sep. 10 (Saba) - The Defense Ministry said Monday that the second in command of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) killed today in Hadramout province.

A security official quoted by the ministry's website as saying that the military forces carried out an operation in Wadi Hadramout ended up with killing Saudi national "Saeed Ali al-Shihri" along with six other militants who were with him.

Al-Shihri has been held by the US at Guantanamo. In November 2007 he was transferred to Saudi custody, and underwent a program designed to lead people away from terrorism, according to press reports.

He left for Yemen, despite travel restrictions to stay in Saudi Arabia. The US State Department notes that he was publicly identified in January 2009 as the deputy leader of AQAP.

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Saba