( CNN ) -- A Yemeni court Monday sentenced to death one of the leaders of the terrorist group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , Yemen 's state-run news agency reported . Prior to his capture , trial and sentencing , Saleh al-Shawsh had been one of the three most wanted members of the group , an arm of Osama bin Laden 's broader terrorist organization formed last year . The Specialized Criminal Court in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa sentenced al-Shawsh after finding him guilty of killing Yemeni soldiers and attacking oil installations and security checkpoints in the province of Hadramout , reported Saba , the Middle Eastern nation 's state-run news agency . Referring to al-Shawsh as a member of an `` armed gang , '' the report said that the incidents he was involved in occurred between 2007 and 2010 . Yemen has become a main battleground for al Qaeda , with the government carrying out air strikes and a ground campaign against the group this weekend . President Barack Obama 's counterterrorism adviser , John Brennan , met the president of Yemen a month ago to discuss al Qaeda and U.S. support for Yemen , the U.S. Embassy announced at the time . Brennan delivered a letter to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh affirming U.S. support for Yemen , the embassy said . The Obama administration is considering adding armed CIA drones to help fight the increasing threat of al Qaeda in Yemen , a U.S. official said in August . A U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN that the administration recognizes that `` not enough is being done in Yemen '' to meet the growing challenge posed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . Al Qaeda activity in Yemen grabbed the attention of the West with the Christmas Day attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines trans-Atlantic flight as it approached Detroit , Michigan . The suspect , Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab , who has pleaded not guilty to six federal terrorism charges , was reportedly trained and armed in Yemen . Yemen has launched at least two offensives against the group since then , including one this weekend . `` Yemen 's security forces have been in engaged in a ground and air campaign for two days in Abyan province against al Qaeda , '' a government official told CNN Sunday . CNN is not naming the official , who is not authorized to speak to the press about the campaign . The official said the battle is fierce and bloody and is part of a larger low-intensity conflict with al Qaeda in the region . The campaign follows `` an attempt by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to kill the governor and junior regional security officials this past week , '' the official said . At least six militants have been killed , the official said , as airstrikes -- which began Saturday and continued on Sunday -- targeted militant gatherings in the province 's Lawdar and Moudeya districts . `` Western embassies in Sana ' a were put on high security alert -- especially the British and American embassies , '' the official said , referring to Yemen 's capital . `` The government of Yemen has increased security outside those embassies and they were heavily fortified in fears of AQAP retaliation . '' Tribesmen from Abyan province are supporting the provincial governor after al Qaeda members killed his brother in an ambush aimed at assassinating the governor himself , the official said . Saturday night , two suicide bombers were killed after their vehicle , which was rigged with explosives , attempted to ram a military motorcade in Moudeya , the official said . The car exploded after Yemeni forces shot at the suspicious vehicle with high-caliber machine guns . On Friday , the Interior Ministry offered a reward of 20 million Yemeni riyal ( about U.S. $ 100,000 ) for information leading to the capture of eight suspected members of al Qaeda in Yemen . The nation 's official Saba news agency identified the eight , urging the public to cooperate and warning citizens not to shelter any of the suspects . And a wanted al Qaeda in Yemen member turned himself in to Saudi Arabian authorities on Friday , Saudi Arabia 's official Saudi Press Agency reported , citing a security spokesman at the country 's Ministry of Interior . The statement added that the man , Jaber bin Jibran bin Ali al-Afifi , a former Guantanamo Bay detainee , had rejoined al Qaeda in Yemen after he had returned from captivity . In the past week , al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is suspected of being behind three separate attacks that have killed at least two Yemeni security officials , according to a government official . Last week also saw the release of an audio recording purported to be from Qassim al-Rimi ( also known as Abu Hurira al-Sanaei ) , the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , that was posted on radical militant websites . The speaker promised that Yemen 's President Saleh would be punished `` for his crimes '' and announced that a new army would rid the country of `` crusaders and apostates . '' CNN could not verify the authenticity of the recording . CNN 's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report .
Saleh al-Shawsh was one of the most wanted militants in Yemen . He is purported to be a member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . Yemen is a major al Qaeda battleground . Washington recently underscored its support for Yemen .