A suspected US drone strike in Yemen’s southeastern Shabwa province has killed five al Qaeda-affiliated militants, a local government official said on Tuesday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said a “US drone” targeted the five men late on Monday in Shabwa, a mostly lawless region of Yemen where the extremist group has expanded its presence AFP reported.

The strike was in the Kharama area between the towns of Ghazzan and Huta, the official said.

The deadly raid comes just days after three local al Qaeda leaders were killed in an air strike on their car in the neighbouring province of Bayda, about 210 kilometres southeast of the capital Sanaa.

The defence ministry said on Saturday’s raid was conducted by Yemeni warplanes, but a security official told AFP that a US drone was responsible for the attack.