Al-Qaeda fighters killed in Yemen drone strike

A drone strike in south Yemen has killed at least five suspected al-Qaeda fighters, just a day after a similar attack killed ten al-Qaeda suspects and three civilians, emergency officials said.

On Sunday, an unmanned plane targeted a gathering of fighters in the town of al-Mahfad on Sunday, in Abyan province, where al-Qaeda remains active despite being driven out from several cities in a 2012 army offensive.

A tribal chief has said that five al-Qaeda fighters have been killed.

Yemen is among a handful of countries where the United States acknowledges using drones, but it does not comment on the practice.

The US has defended the drone campaign, which allows it to target al-Qaeda without the use of ground forces in lawless areas where authorities cannot, or will not, act against the group.

The drone programme has come under criticism from human rights activists concerned over civilian casualties.

Yemen has been fighting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), but AQAP still manages to carry out significant attacks against security forces in the country.

Stability in Yemen is a top priority for the US because of the country's location next to oil exporting giant Saudi Arabia.