Sanaa, Dec 10 (IANS): At least four Al Qaeda members were killed when two missiles fired from a US drone bombed their car in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout Monday, a military source said.

"Up to four terrorists were in the charred vehicle, which burst into flames shortly after a huge explosion of their small pick-up truck in the Qatan valley in Hadramout," Xinhua quoted a military source as saying.

The drone fired two missiles against the Al Qaeda-linked car which was traveling on a main road in the Qatan valley, the source said.

Residents near the scene confirmed that there were casualties from the drone strike on the vehicle, which was carrying Al Qaeda militants including senior members of the terrorist group when it was hit.

The identities of the dead militants were unclear, according to the local security and military officials.

The Yemen-based Al Qaeda offshoot claimed responsibility for Thursday's attacks on Yemen's defence ministry, which left 52 people dead and more than 167 injured.

The group said in a statement posted on its Twitter account that it targeted the ministry complex because it wanted to "prove that it accommodates drone control rooms and American experts."

Washington has escalated its drone strike on the Al Qaeda network in Yemen since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012 after a UN-backed power transfer deal eased former president Ali Abdullah Saleh from power after a year of mass protests.