'US drone' kills three Qaeda suspects in Yemen: tribal sources

Sources say the three were riding in vehicle that was struck at dawn by missile in desert region of Harib

ADEN: Three suspected al Qaeda militants were killed on Friday in an apparent US drone strike in Marib province, east of the capital Sanaa, tribal sources said.

The three were riding in a vehicle that was struck at dawn by a missile in the desert region of Harib, the sources said.

The United States is the only country known to operate armed drones over Yemen, and strikes have continued on suspected militants even as the country has been battered by months of fighting between pro- and anti-government forces.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), viewed by Washington as the extremist network's most dangerous branch, has taken advantage of the chaos to seize the southern port city of Mukalla, capital of the vast desert Hadramawt province.

The group admitted in June that its leader in Yemen Nasir al-Wuhayshi had been killed in a drone strike.

Two senior AQAP commanders were killed in similar attacks in April.