WASHINGTON: The United States has lost seven multi-million-dollar MQ-9 Reaper drones in the Yemen area since March 15, a US official said on Monday.

Washington launched the latest round of its air campaign against Yemen`s Houthis in mid-March, and MQ-9s can be used for both reconnaissance as well as strikes.

`There have been seven MQ-9s that have gone down since March 15,` the US official said, without specifying what caused the loss of the drones, which cost around $30 million apiece. The military`s Central Command claimed on Sunday that US forces had struck more than 800 targets and killed hundreds of Houthi fighters as part of the operation.-AFP