WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States had conducted a counterterrorism operation in Yemen that killed Qasim al-Rimi, a founder and the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

"The United States conducted a counterterrorism operation in Yemen that successfully eliminated Qasim al-Rimi, a founder and the leader of al-Qa'ida (al-Qaeda) in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and a deputy to al-Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri," said Trump in a statement released by the White House.

Rimi's death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qaeda movement,the statement added.