Suspected drone strike hits Yemen wedding convoy

A suspected drone strike has killed at least 13 people and left scores injured during a wedding convoy in Southern Yemen, officials said.

The attack occurred near the town of Radda in al-Bayda province, a known stronghold of al-Qaeda.

It is still unclear what aircraft carried out the attack, but witnesses said it was a drone with speculation rife among locals that it was commissioned by the US given the proximity of al-Qaeda members.

The US has acknowledged using drones as part of its support for Yemen's efforts to tackle militant extremists, but does not comment on individual strikes. Human rights groups say US drone attacks in Yemen constitute unlawful killings.

Despite the counter-operations, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is far from abating and remains active in Yemen.

Last week it said it had carried out an attack on Yemen's defence ministry in the capital, Sanaa, because the unmanned aircraft were being operated from there

That attack left at least 52 people dead, including soldiers, civilians and foreigners.

It was the deadliest attack in Sanaa since May 2012, when a suicide bomber blew himself up during a rehearsal for a military parade.