A presumed US drone strike in southern Yemen killed three Al-Qaeda suspects on Tuesday, a security official and a tribal source said.

The strike hit a vehicle carrying the three alleged militants in the eastern suburbs of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province, the official said.

Two of the suspects who were injured in the attack later succumbed to their wounds, a tribal source said, raising an earlier toll of one killed.

The United States has carried out numerous drone strikes against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives in Yemen.

American officials said this month that the US military had killed three AQAP fighters in a strike, also in Shabwa.

On Wednesday, drone strikes killed seven Al-Qaeda suspects in south and east Yemen.

AQAP and ISIS have exploited a power vacuum created by the conflict between the government and Iran-backed rebels to expand their presence in the Arabian Peninsula country.

The US has vowed to continue its campaign against AQAP, which it considers to be the Al-Qaeda network’s deadliest franchise.

A Saudi-led Arab military coalition that backs the Yemeni government has also turned its sights on AQAP, targeting it with air strikes.

The coalition is supporting pro-government forces which launched an offensive this year to retake several towns from AQAP.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 13:59 - GMT 10:59