Two US drone attacks in Zinjibar, Abyan, killed 15 suspected al-Qaeda fighters on Monday, a senior military official in Abyan confirmed.

The official said that the drones acted after coordinating with the Yemeni government.

The official added that more than a dozen people were injured in the attack.

The airstrikes were the latest in a US/government campaign to try to dislodge al-Qaida-linked militants from Zinjibar and the nearby town of Jaar.

The Yemen Interior Ministry denied on the record the US drones were involved in the attack and said that three air attacks were conducted by the Yemeni government air forces.

Clashes have been ongoing in Abyan since May when suspected al-Qaeda militants took over the province.

Locals complain that the government handed the province over to the militants by evacuating its forces from the military camps.

At least 35 US drone attacks were reported in Yemen over the last two month, raising the worries of locals.