A drone strike in Yemen likely carried out by US forces yesterday has killed a local Al-Qaeda chief and his guard, according to a local security official.

The strike hit a car at Sawmaa in Al-Bayda province, killing Jalal Al-Seydi, who was the Emir of Al-Qaeda in the town of Lauder, situated in the neighbouring province of Abyan. Both Al-Bayda and Abyan are known for being Al-Qaeda strongholds. Yesterday, the US military said it killed 28 members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in nine strikes in Yemen since September.

The statement from US Central Command did not say how the strikes, which occurred between 23 September and 13 December, were carried out.

Yemen has been locked in a bitter battle between Houthi rebels allied with forces loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh against government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, along with local tribes and resistance forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed as a result of the conflict with millions displaced.