(MENAFN- QNA) Top al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi was killed Friday in a suspected U.S. drone strike in Yemen's Hadramout region, according to two Yemeni national security officials.

Tweets from known AQAP operatives also spoke of al-Wuhayshi having been killed, and of AQAP military commander Qasm al-Rimi (also known as Abu Hureira al-Sanaani) having been appointed as al-Wuhayshi's replacement.

US authorities are looking to confirm al-Wuhayshi's death, according to one US intelligence official, the (CNN) reported Tuesday.