Yemeni officials say a senior al-Qaida leader in the Arabian Peninsula, wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole warship in the Yemeni port city of Aden, was killed in an airstrike Sunday.

The officials said Fahd al-Quso was hit by a missile in Rafth, in the southern Shabwa province, along with another al-Qaida operative.

The Yemeni Embassy in Washington confirmed al-Quso's death in the airstrike, as did the al-Qaida terror group in a statement Sunday.

Al-Quso was on the FBI's most wanted list with a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. He was charged in a U.S. court with involvement in the October 12, 2000, bombing of the USS Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors.