Drone attack in Yemen, kills 6 al Qaeda militants

Six suspected al Qaeda militants were killed in a drone strike in central Yemen on Sunday, local security officials and residents said.

The strike hit a suspected al Qaeda site in al-Bayda province, killing two people believed to be local leaders of the group along with four other militants, the officials said.

U.S. forces have repeatedly launched a drone and air strikes against Yemen's al Qaeda branch, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The group has taken advantage of a nearly four-year-old war between the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's Saudi-backed government to try to strengthen its position in the impoverished country. 

(With inputs from agencies.)