Airstrikes by U.S. target al-Qaida in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen — A series of U.S. airstrikes targeted alleged al-Qaida positions Thursday in a mountainous area where three Yemeni provinces meet, leaving several militants dead, Yemeni officials said.

They were the first U.S. attacks in Yemen since an ill-fated Special Operations raid in January and another sign of the Trump administration’s expanding counterterrorism campaign there.

A defense official said there was a total of 25 strikes by manned and unmanned aircraft, far more attacks in a single night than the U.S. has conducted in recent history.

The Yemeni officials said U.S. jets and drones targeted at least six districts, all located in a mountainous area where the three provinces of Bayda, Shabwa and Abyan meet. The region is known for its rocky mountains, which have been used by al-Qaida as a hideout.

Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday more than 20 strikes were “conducted in partnership with the government of Yemen” and were coordinated with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The mention that the strikes were done in partnership with Mr. Hadi’s government is notable because he had withdrawn permission for the United States to conduct Special Operations ground missions, a decision prompted by anger at the civilian casualties incurred in the January raid.

One media official in Bayda said a total of 23 airstrikes were carried out by U.S. jets. Another official said four al-Qaida militants were killed in the