WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. special forces raid on al Qaeda headquarters in Yemen was authorized by President Donald Trump and was aimed at gathering intelligence about the militant group, a U.S. military official said on Sunday.

The official said American elite forces did not seize any militants or take any prisoners off-site after Saturday's raid, which the Pentagon said killed 14 members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. U.S. forces carrying out the raid came under fire.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)