Washington: The Pentagon on Thursday said that that U.S. forces killed 28 suspected militants linked to the terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in nine separate US drone strikes across Yemen.

Al-Qaeda suspects killed in US drone attack

"Strikes against AQAP in Yemen pressure the terrorist network and hinder their ability to attack the US and our allies," a Central Command spokesman said in a statement on Thursday.

The strikes were carried out between September 23 and December 13, said the statement, which was released shortly before the anniversary of the attempted bombing of a commercial airliner in 2009 carried out by the terror group, Xinhua news agency reported.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was also blamed for the bloody attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris in January 2015.

- IANS inputs