SANAA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike killed two al-Qaida members in Yemen's northeastern province of Marib on Thursday, a provincial security official told Xinhua.
The suspected terrorists were targeted while driving a car in al-Huson area in al-Wadi district southeast of Marib, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official gave no further details.
Al-Qaida terrorists are very active in the oil-rich Marib, which is under control of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government forces backed by the United States and the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition.
The United States is focusing on fighting Sunni al-Qaida group in coordination with the Saudi government, while the Saudi-led coalition is backing Yemeni government forces in battling against Shiite Houthi rebels who control much of northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa.
On Oct. 8, the U.S. drones killed five al-Qaida members while driving a pickup vehicle in nearby Raghwan district, also in Marib, according to a local security official.
The U.S. military has stepped up drone airstrikes against the Yemeni branch al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) since U.S. President Donald Trump approved expanded military operations against the group.
The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, regarded by the United States as the global terror network's most dangerous branch, has exploited more than two years of deadly civil war between Yemen's government and Houthi rebels to expand its presence, especially in the south and northeastern provinces.
