Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula AQAP confirmed on Tuesday its leader Nasser Al-Wuhayshi had been killed.
A spokesperson for the group, Khalid Bamatrafi, appeared in a videotape mourning Al-Wuhayshi and two AQAP members who were killed in the city of Mukalla in Hadramout province on Friday.
"Despite being busy with fighting the Houthi militants and forces loyal to try former president, a suitable number of the group's members gathered and elected Al-Raimi as the new leader," he said.
A US drone strike targeted the three as AQAP is still controlling Mukalla raising concerns about its expansion amid the ongoing conflict.
The US has been providing direct military support including drone operations to fight AQAP which was founded from Yemeni and Saudi Al-Qaeda wings in 2009.
The US administration has designated AQAP as the most active branch of the global Al-Qaeda network because it has been responsible for thwarted plots against Western targets.
Recently, the US announced around $48 million as reward for information leading to arrest or killing 8 fugitives of AQAP including Al-Wuhayshi and Al-Raimi.