Sanaa, Sep 25 (IANS): Four Al Qaeda militants were killed in a US drone strike Thursday afternoon in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa, security and tribal sources told Xinhua.

"An unmanned US aircraft fired two missiles at a vehicle carrying four suspected Al Qaeda affiliates in Nisab district located on the outskirts of Ataq city, Shabwa's provincial capital," a security official in Shabwa's military said on condition of anonymity.

The US air strike hit the car and destroyed it completely, killing all the people in it, the official said, adding that the targeted Al Qaeda members were planning terrorist operations in Shabwa province.

A tribal chief told Xinhua on phone that "the airstrike targeted the Al Qaeda elements while they were driving toward their hideout Thursday afternoon at around 3.30 p.m.”

"Just a few hours after the airstrike, some local citizens had gone immediately to the location and found a damaged car and four burned bodies scattered in the area," the tribal source said.

With the support of US President Barack Obama, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has on numerous occasions asserted his approval of American drones that target presumed Al Qaeda affiliates.

However, critics from human rights groups said the drone strikes violate international law and Yemen's sovereignty, and also cause heavy civilian casualties.

The Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, is considered a major threat to the Yemeni government and neighbouring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.