SANAA, Yemen — A high-ranking security official says this week’s Yemeni government campaign against al-Qaida targeted its top leaders and that authorities are examining DNA samples of those killed to determine their identities.

The official told The Associated Press on Wednesday, “let’s wait and see” for the results of the DNA test, declining to give names of leaders who were targeted. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The remarks came two days after the military, reportedly backed by U.S. drone strikes, hit a major al-Qaida base in the remote southern mountains, killing 55 militants. The bombed sites included a training ground, a storehouse for weapons and food as well as vehicles.