Yemeni tribal leaders say a suspected U.S. drone strike has killed five alleged al-Qaida fighters in the country's central Marib province.

They say the men were traveling Sunday in the Saud area of Rawan district when a missile hit their car, engulfing it in flames. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Yemen fell into chaos following its 2011 Arab Spring uprising that removed longtime autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh, now allied with Shiite rebels from the north who occupy much of the country and are fighting his successor. A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the rebels and Saleh's forces since March 2015.

Al-Qaida has taken advantage of the security breakdown to seize territory and expand operations in impoverished Yemen, which sits along strategic oil shipping routes.