An operation targeting al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is under way in Abyan and Shabwa , Yemen , a high-level Yemeni government official who is being briefed on the strikes told CNN on Monday . The official said that the scale of the strikes against AQAP is `` massive and unprecedented '' and that at least 30 militants have been killed . The operation involved Yemeni commandos who are now `` going after high-level AQAP targets , '' the official said . A day earlier , suspected drone strikes targeted al Qaeda fighters in Yemen for the second time in two days , killing `` at least a dozen , '' the government official said . The predawn strikes targeted a mountain ridge in the southern province of Abyan , the official said . It 's the same area where scores of followers of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had gathered recently to hear from Nasir al-Wuhayshi , the head of the terrorist network 's Yemeni branch and the global organization 's `` crown prince , '' the official said . `` It 's too early to tell how many militants were killed , but the number is at least a dozen , '' the official said . The targets included `` foreign nationals , '' the official said , but he provided no details of what their nationalities were . Nor was it clear whether any high-value targets were among the dead and wounded , he said . Yemen 's state news agency SABA said three strikes targeted an al Qaeda training camp in the village of Wadi al Khila , about 450 kilometers ( 280 miles ) south of the capital Sanaa . The fighters were `` preparing to launch attacks against Yemeni and foreign interests in the area , '' according to a statement from the country 's Supreme Security Committee . `` These strikes destroyed the training facility completely and killed both Yemeni and foreign members , '' it said . The official said Sunday 's raid was a joint U.S.-Yemeni operation . He would not confirm whether drones were used in the attack , but the United States is the only country known to have conducted drone strikes in Yemen -- and as a rule , U.S. officials do n't comment on those strikes . But the official said the area is so rugged and mountainous that Yemeni troops would have faced heavy losses in any ground assault . Al Qaeda operatives had fled to the area after a 2012 push by government troops , backed by the United States , he said . The high-level official said it would take time to fully clarify the details of the weekend 's strikes -- whether the raids targeted camps , vehicles on the move or both , the full death toll among the militants , and whether there were any civilian casualties . A Saturday drone strike in a neighboring province killed at least 10 suspected al Qaeda militants , but also killed three civilian day laborers . But other Yemeni officials , who asked to remain anonymous as they are not authorized to speak to the media , said there was growing frustration within the government about the lack of clarity and expressed concern that some of the information being reported by the military may be propaganda . `` I 'm worried this is an attempt to convince Yemenis that the U.S. and Yemen have turned a corner and are in the process of destroying AQAP , '' one of those other officials said . `` At this hour , the numbers of militants being reported as being killed keeps changing , and we still are n't sure if any civilians have been killed or wounded in these strikes . '' `` Yemenis are smart enough to doubt initial reports of this type , '' he added . `` If this does turn out to be exaggeration , it will make the people here trust their government even less than they do and fuel growing anger over the drone program . '' The United States first used armed drones to pick off an al Qaeda operative in Yemen in 2002 . Strikes on suspected al Qaeda figures resumed in 2009 , with more than 100 reported since then , according to the New America Foundation , a U.S.-based think tank that tracks the raids . Those strikes have killed somewhere between 700 and 1,000 people , including at least 81 civilians , the foundation says . Did the United States miss top al Qaeda meeting in Yemen ?
At least 30 people have been killed , he says . Predawn strikes against al Qaeda in southern Yemen . A U.S. drone attack is suspected , but the official wo n't confirm it . Other reports express frustration , suspicion at lack of details .