WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least seven militants were killed during a raid by U.S. Special Forces troops against an al Qaeda compound in Yemen on Tuesday morning, the Pentagon said, the deepest the United States has penetrated Yemen to target the group.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters in Washington that multiple U.S. troops were injured, but not serious enough to require medical evacuation.

Davis said it was also the first raid in the Marib governorate and an AC-130 gunship was called in after a firefight broke out.

“The intent of this raid was to disrupt AQAP operations,” Davis said, using an acronym for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Local tribesmen confirmed a raid in Marib, which is controlled by forces loyal to the Western-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, but said five people were killed and six others were wounded, all from the same extended family.

It was the latest operation by U.S. forces against the Yemen-based AQAP, which has exploited a two-year-old civil war between the Iran-aligned Houthi and Hadi’s Saudi-backed government to enhance its influence in the impoverished country.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement the AQAP militants were killed “through a combination of small-arms fire and precision air strikes” in Marib, with the support of the Yemeni government.

“Raids such as this provide insight into AQAP’s disposition, capabilities and intentions, which will allow us to continue to pursue, disrupt, and degrade AQAP,” the statement said.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters separately that the raid was carried out 40-45 km (25-30 miles) north of another U.S. raid that took place in late January.

Two sources in Marib said that the attack began with drone strikes at a house in the southern Marib governorate near the border with the al-Bayda governorate, followed by automatic fire from low-flying helicopters.

They said that five members of their al-Moradi clan, a main tribe in Marib, had died in the operation and six others were wounded, adding that they were all civilians.

Davis said at this point there was no credible indication that there were civilian casualties in the raid.

The operation was the first ground raid in Yemen since the operation in January, which was hailed as a success by the White House and other U.S. officials.

However, critics questioned the value of the mission after a U.S. Navy Seal was killed. Women and children, as well as several militants, were also killed.

The U.S. military has carried out more than 80 strikes in Yemen against al Qaeda militants since February.

The group boasts one of the world’s most feared bomb makers, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, and AQAP has been a persistent concern to the U.S. government since an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009.</s>WASHINGTON — Members of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6 killed seven militants, but suffered combat wounds themselves, during an early Tuesday raid on a compound associated with Al Qaeda in Yemen, the Pentagon said.

Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to say how many members of the SEAL unit had been wounded or to describe the extent of their injuries, citing rules for secrecy and operational security. But he said the injured Americans were not in such serious condition that they required medical evacuation.

Reprieve, a London-based human rights organization, said five civilians had been killed in the raid, including a 70-year-old, partly blind man who was shot when he tried to greet the Navy SEALs, mistaking them for guests arriving in the village. But Captain Davis said, “We don’t have reason to believe that’s the case.”

It was the first ground raid in Yemen that the military has acknowledged since Navy SEALs carried out a similar attack in late January, the first such operation authorized by President Trump. One Navy SEAL team member died and three others were injured in that mission, and as many as 25 civilians were killed.</s>The United States military said a raid against an al Qaeda compound in Yemen on Tuesday morning killed seven militants, with two U.S. officials saying the primary objective of the raid was to gather intelligence. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants were killed "through a combination of small arms fire and precision airstrikes" in the Marib governorate with the support of the Yemeni government.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters.</s>The United States military said a raid against an al Qaeda compound in Yemen on Tuesday morning (local time) killed seven militants, with two U.S. officials saying the primary objective of the raid was to gather intelligence.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants were killed "through a combination of small arms fire and precision airstrikes" in the Marib governorate with the support of the Yemeni government.

The two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters separately that there were no known U.S. injuries or casualties and the raid was carried out 40 km (25 miles) to 45 km (28 miles) north of a controversial U.S. raid in late January.</s>An ex-Navy SEAL, who claims to have killed Osama bin Laden, has said that ahead of the 2011 Abbottabad raid he bought farewell gifts for his children and had a “last conversation” with his father as he believed it was a “one way” mission. Ex-Navy SEAL team shooter Robert O’Neill told CNN about the preparations he made before he left for the trip, which included arranging to have a last meal with his kids and heading to the mall to buy them “never coming back presents”.

“As depressing as that sounds…I wasn’t afraid, I was just focused,” O’Neill was quoted as saying. “We were preparing to not come home.” O’Neill also recalled how he had arranged for a last conversation with his father.

“My father, he and I talked. We would talk before a lot of missions, he would joke like, ‘I wish I could go with you!’ I would say, I know, Dad, I wish you could, too. I said I am with some great guys. That was the last conversation,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill said he participated in more than 400 missions during his time with the SEALs. Despite his concerns, the raid on Osama’s Pakistan compound “wasn’t even one of the most difficult targets we’ve been on,” he said.

“They selected a group of combat veteran navy SEALs. We’d all done it hundreds and hundreds of times. It was the best team I’ve ever been a part of,” O’Neill said.

“We were given the most time to prepare for this mission. So we knew the outside of the compound very, very well. We knew most of the contingencies,” he said.

Talking about the night of the raid itself, O’Neill said that “everyone just did their jobs”. “Our tactics took over. We didn’t know what the inside looked like, but that didn’t matter. I was able to watch as we slowly went up the stairs,” the ex-Navy SEAL said.

“And when we got to the top, I was in position where I turned a corner and I did what any SEAL, any Ranger, any special operator would have done. I saw bin Laden, and he was a threat, he was not surrendering, and so I took — I treated him as if he were a suicide bomber, which I assumed he was, and I shot him in the face three times,” he said.

O’Neill has faced criticism after first going public with his story. Asked as to whether the rest of the team he worked with that night were “cool” with him telling his story, O’Neill said that he thought that “some will be happy and some will be upset.”

O’Neill, in his book ‘The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Bin Laden’, has revealed that Osama’s head was so severely destroyed by his gunfire that it had to be pressed back together for identification.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>US forces have carried out a ground raid on an Al-Qaeda compound in Yemen, killing seven militants, the Pentagon said late Monday.

The raid took place in Marib Governorate in the early hours of Tuesday local time and was conducted with the support of Yemeni authorities.

"During this operation, US forces killed seven AQAP (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) militants through a combination of small arms fire and precision airstrikes," Centcom, the US military command in the Middle East, said in a statement.

"Raids such as this provide insight into AQAP's disposition, capabilities and intentions, which will allow us to continue to pursue, disrupt, and degrade AQAP."

The United States has increased attacks against AQAP -- which has taken advantage of the chaos in the impoverished country -- since President Donald Trump took office in January.

That has included an ill-fated raid against AQAP in January that left multiple civilians and a US Navy SEAL dead.

That raid was the first authorized by Trump, who drew criticism after he blamed "the generals" for having "lost" Navy SEAL Ryan Owens.

Washington regards AQAP to be the most dangerous branch of the extremist group.

Yemen is also locked in a deadly civil war that broke out in 2015 between Iran-supported Huthi rebels and government forces backed by an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

America has supported the Saudi-led coalition through weapons sales, air-to-air refueling of jets and some intelligence sharing.

The conflict has killed more than 8,000 people and wounded around 40,000, according to the UN's World Health Organization.

Seven ceasefires alongside UN-brokered peace efforts have so far failed to stop the fighting.</s>WASHINGTON, D.C.: US forces have carried out a ground raid on an Al-Qaeda compound in Yemen, killing seven militants, the Pentagon said late on Monday. The raid took place in Marib Governorate in the early hours of Tuesday local time and was conducted with the support of Yemeni authorities. “During this operation, US forces killed seven AQAP [Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] militants through a combination of small arms fire and precision airstrikes,” Centcom, the US military command in the Middle East, said in a statement. “Raids such as this provide insight into AQAP’s disposition, capabilities and intentions, which will allow us to continue to pursue, disrupt, and degrade AQAP.” The United States has increased attacks against AQAP – which has taken advantage of the chaos in the impoverished country – since President Donald Trump took office in January. That has included an ill-fated raid against AQAP in January that left multiple civilians and a US Navy SEAL dead.</s>District of Columbia: US forces have carried out a ground raid on an Al-Qaeda compound in Yemen, killing seven militants, the Pentagon said late Monday.

The raid took place in Marib province in the early hours of Tuesday local time and was conducted with the support of Yemeni authorities.

"During this operation, US forces killed seven AQAP (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) militants through a combination of small arms fire and precision airstrikes," Centcom, the US military command for the Middle East, said in a statement.

"Raids such as this provide insight into AQAP`s disposition, capabilities and intentions, which will allow us to continue to pursue, disrupt, and degrade AQAP."

Yemeni tribal sources said the operation targeted a residential block held by Al-Qaeda fighters in the village of Al-Hathla, in a mountainous district in the southeast of Marib province.

The dead were all members of the same Al-Aadhal tribe, the sources said.

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the United States has increased attacks against AQAP, which has taken advantage of more than two years of intensifying conflict in Yemen to increase its presence.

That has included an ill-fated raid against AQAP in January that left multiple civilians and a US Navy SEAL dead.

That raid was the first authorized by Trump, who drew criticism after he blamed "the generals" for having "lost" Navy SEAL Ryan Owens.

Washington regards AQAP to be the most dangerous branch of the extremist group.

Since 2015, Yemen has been locked in a devastating civil war between Iran-supported Huthi rebels and government forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.

America has supported the Saudi-led coalition through weapons sales, air-to-air refueling and some intelligence sharing.

The conflict has killed more than 8,000 people and wounded around 40,000, according to the World Health Organization.

Seven cease fires alongside UN-brokered peace efforts have so far failed to stop the fighting.</s>Pentagon says US forces kill seven suspected members of AQAP in a ground raid on a compound in Marib governorate.

US forces have killed seven suspected members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) during a ground raid in Yemen, the Pentagon has said.

The operation in the early hours of Tuesday came some four months after a botched US commando raid against the group that left more than a dozen civilians dead.

US forces used "a combination of small arms fire and precision airstrikes" to attack a compound in the Marib governorate, with the support of Yemen's authorities, a statement by the US Central Command said on Tuesday.

"Raids such as this provide insight into AQAP's disposition, capabilities and intentions, which will allow us to continue to pursue, disrupt, and degrade AQAP."

READ MORE: Who benefits from a weak and divided Yemen?

Two US officials, speaking to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity, said the primary objective of the raid was to gather intelligence. There were no known US casualties or injuries, they said.

The statements could not be independently verified.

The US has increased attacks against AQAP, which it regards as the most dangerous branch of the armed group, since President Donald Trump took office in January.

That has included an ill-fated raid against AQAP in January that left at least 16 civilians, including women and children, dead. AQAP fighters and a US Navy SEAL were also killed in the operation.

Yemen has been torn apart by conflict since 2014, when Houthi fighters allied with troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh captured large expanses of the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, including the capital Sanaa.

AQAP and a local affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group have exploited Yemen's war to carry out assassinations and bombings, mostly in lawless areas in the south.

According to the UN, more than 10,000 people have died - nearly half of them civilians - since an Arab coalition began a campaign of air strikes in March 2015 to drive out the Houthis and their allies.</s>US forces killed seven al-Qaeda militants during raid in Yemen

US forces conducted a counter-terrorism operation in Yemen on Tuesday and killed seven militants of al-Qaeda terrorist group, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, Sputnik reported.

"U.S. forces conducted a counter-terrorism operation against a compound associated with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP], May 23 (Yemen time) in Marib Governorate, Yemen… During this operation, U.S. forces killed seven AQAP militants through a combination of small arms fire and precision airstrikes," the statement said.

According to CENTCOM, the operation was carried out with the support of the Royal Government of Yemen.

"Raids such as this provide insight into AQAP's disposition, capabilities and intentions, which will allow us to continue to pursue, disrupt, and degrade AQAP," the statement said.

Yemen has been engulfed in military conflict between the government troops headed by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels, the country’s main opposition force, who are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The crisis has had the result of a rise in terror organizations in the country, with al-Qaeda being the most notorious.
The U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six's raid on an Al Qaeda in Yemen compound in the Ma'rib Governorate kills at least seven militants. SEAL Team Six also suffered unspecified injuries that were treated at the site.