( CNN ) -- Yemeni commando forces from elite units are conducting simultaneous raids on al Qaeda hideouts and cells on the outskirts of the capital , Sanaa , a Yemeni government official told CNN on Friday . The raids are part of recent operations to crack down on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , considered the most dangerous wing of the global terror group , and represents the most intense campaign against it since 2012 , the official said . Yemeni military brigades are also besieging areas around Abyan , Shabwa and Baida provinces , slowly attempting to form a security perimeter around those areas by cutting off main roads and supply routes , according to the official . The official did not provide information about whether another ground operation involving commandos and infantry troops in those areas was imminent . A crackdown began last weekend , resulting in the deaths of more than 60 suspected al Qaeda militants in Yemen from April 19-21 , Yemeni officials have said . The offensive included attacks by Yemeni commandos and suspected U.S. drone strikes , a high-level Yemeni government official said . U.S. special operations troops helped during that offensive , in part by flying Yemeni forces to a remote , mountainous spot in southern Yemen , though no Americans took part in combat , a U.S. official said . DNA tests are being conducted to determine if one of the most well-known members of that group -- bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri -- is among the dead , according to Yemeni officials . One of the sites targeted is in the same area where scores of al Qaeda followers 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 high-level Yemeni official said . A video of that meeting appeared on jihadist websites . In the middle of that video , al-Wuhayshi , appears brazenly in the open , greeting followers in Yemen . One reason why Yemen and the United States partnered in the offensive : Threats from al Qaeda operatives in Yemen increased in recent weeks , U.S. officials told CNN . U.S. authorities blame the Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda for a string of plots against Americans , including the failed attempt to blow up a U.S.-bound jetliner with a bomb concealed in an operative 's underwear in 2009 . It is also suspected of being behind another plot involving printer bombs on U.S.-bound cargo jets . Did Yemen , U.S. kill al Qaeda 's chief bomb maker ? CNN 's Barbara Starr contributed to this report .
Official : Raids are part of recent operations to crack down on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . more than 60 suspected al Qaeda 's militants killed Friday , Americans officials say .