An air strike by a US drone in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout on Friday killed at least four Al-Qaeda militants, a government official told Xinhua.

"The US drone hit a small car immediately after it left an Al-Qaeda-held house near the historical city of Shibam. Four militants were killed," the government source said, adding that the vehicle was completely destroyed at the scene.

An intelligence official in Hadramout also confirmed the strike, saying that "initial reports show that all of them were members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group."

The US drone was apparently chasing some high-ranking Al-Qaeda commanders and bombed their car with two missiles in the historical city of Shibam, according to local residents.

Earlier this month, a US drone strike mistakenly hit a wedding party in Yemen's southeastern province of al-Bayda, killing up to 11 Yemenis and wounding about 21.

The Yemeni people have staged several rallies this year, demanding an end to the US drone strike in the country.



Washington has escalated its drone strikes on the al-Qaida network in Yemen since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012 after a UN-backed power transfer deal eased former President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot frequently attack the institutions of the Yemeni government and embassies of Western countries, as well as assassinate army officers.

On Dec. 5, 12 al-Qaida militants attacked the Yemeni defense ministry, which left 56 people killed and more than 200 injured.