At least five suspected Al-Qaeda militants have been killed in a drone strike in eastern Yemen, news agencies said on Thursday.
The drone operation targeted the car of the five militants in the city of Mukalla, Hadramout, on Wednesday, the reports said, a day after local sources said Al-Qaeda bombed the headquarters of the second military command in the city.
It was the latest in a series of US drone operations against Al-Qaeda in Yemen which the US describes as the most active and dangerous branch of the global terrorist network of Al-Qaeda.
Taking advantage of the civil war which followed the ouster of the government by the Houthi Shiite militants months ago, Al-Qaeda seized Mukalla and has been controlling it amid persistent power vacuum.
Separately, the battles between the pro- and anti-government forces continued today in several cities including Marib where more military reinforcements including those from the Saudi-led coalition are arriving to back the government forces.
The coalition, which has been bombing the Houthi militants and forces loyal to the former president since March, conducted fresh airstrikes in the capital Sanaa and other cities including Marib and Saada.
The forces in Marib are also preparing to besiege and retake the capital Sanaa from the militants who seized it in late 2014 after ousting the government.