Al Qaeda terrorist Jamal al-Badawi involved in USS Cole bombing killed in Yemen strike: US

WASHINGTON: A US military spokesman confirms that an American airstrike killed an al-Qaida operative accused of involvement in the attack nearly two decades ago on the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors.

The man targeted, Jamal al-Badawi, was wanted for his role in the attack on Oct 12, 2000.

The spokesman for US Central Command, Navy Capt William Urban, says the military has confirmed through "a deliberate assessment process" that al-Badawi was killed on Jan 1 in the strike east of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.

President Donald Trump tweets that "Our GREAT MILITARY has delivered justice for the heroes lost and wounded in the cowardly attack on the USS Cole."

The Cole was attacked by suicide bombers in an explosives-laden boat while refuelling at the Yemeni port of Aden.