The U.S. has revived drone strikes against al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen, ending a temporary halt to some operations after the Middle Eastern country's government collapsed.
Yemen's government fell apart last week as Houthi Shiite rebels advanced and took over much of the capital. The resulting chaos forced the U.S. to stop some drone strikes, which it had been carrying out against the local al-Qaeda affiliate, Reuters reported.
But on Monday, an al-Qaeda member told the AP that a drone strike had killed two Yemeni fighters and a Saudi fighter. A boy was also reported killed.
The al-Qaeda affiliate based in Yemen, known as AQAP, has been the target of U.S. strikes.
Those strikes have killed dozens of AQAP members and leaders.
A senior U.S. official also told The Washington Post that the recent chaos in Yemen has given al-Qaeda "a breather."
Any halt of U.S. counterterrorism operations in Yemen would give the organization a "freer hand in parts of the country," analyst Lorenzo Vidino told Reuters.
Among other things, AQAP has claimed responsibility for the recent terror attack in Paris against the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
Despite U.S. military assistance, turmoil in Yemen has steadily eaten away at intelligence gathering capabilities.
Just last year, President Obama praised Yemen as a "partner" that the U.S. has supported for years. The U.S. also has increased its presence in the country over the last two years, deploying military personnel to train and work with Yemeni forces.
However, that the effectiveness of the U.S.-Yemen partnership has decreased in recent months in tandem with the advancing rebel forces, the Post reported.
Last week, Reuters reported that the U.S. had pulled staffers out of the embassy in Sanaa. And according to the Post, officials may remove military personnel as well.
The U.S. also has indicated a willingness to talk with the rebels about continuing strikes.
"We're not against the Houthi movement," an official told the Post.