Al Qaeda in Yemen has announced the death of its leader, Nasir al Wuhayshi, in a US drone strike.

 

The killing of al Wuhayshi, who was the second-highest ranked al Qaeda leader globally, is the biggest blow to the global militant network since the killing Osama bin Laden.

 

In a video statement posted online, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said al Wuhayshi had been killed "along with two other mujahideen".

 

A senior member of the group said in the clip the group has met and appointed its former military chief Qassim al Raymi as his replacement.

 

Al Wuhayshi was the deputy of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and once served as bin Laden's personal secretary.

 

The US government had offered a $10m (£6.4m) reward or any information leading to his capture or killing.

 

AQAP has been behind several plots against the United States, including an attempt to blow up a commercial airliner in 2009.

 

It also claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January in which 12 people were killed.

 

The strike that killed al Wuhayshi is reported to have taken place in Mukalla, in southeastern Yemen, on 9 June.

 

A Yemeni official said last week a drone had fired four missiles at three militants, including an unnamed "leading figure", near the city's port, killing them instantly.

 

US officials have told the Washington Post they are reviewing intelligence linked to the drone strike to confirm al Wuhayshi's death.

 

His death is the latest in a series of targeted killings of AQAP's leaders, including its most senior military leader Nasr al Ansi, religious idealogue Ibrahim al Rubish and others in recent weeks.

 

Al Wuhayshi is said to have fled Afghanistan to Iran in 2002, where he was arrested and handed over to Yemen.

 

He was held without charge there until he escaped from prison by tunnelling his way out with 22 other prisoners in 2006.

 

A year later al Wuhayshi was named the head of AQAP.

 

When bin Laden was killed by US commandos in 2011, al Wuhayshi warned Americans that the fight would not end with the demise of al Qaeda's leader.

 

AQAP has exploited fighting in Yemen between Iran-backed rebels and their Saudi-backed rivals to strengthen its grip on Mukalla, a city of more than 200,000.

 

Sky News has gained access to the capital Sana'a, and witnessed Yemenis struggling to survive amid the destruction as supplies of fuel and medicines run out.

(Sky News)