A drone strike killed two suspected Al-Qaeda members in southern Yemen on Thursday, a security official said.

The strike targeted the pair in a military vehicle at a jihadist checkpoint in Shabwa province, the official told AFP.

The United States has carried out numerous drone strikes in Yemen.

It has vowed no let-up in its war against jihadists, who have exploited the power vacuum created by a conflict between the government and Houthi rebels to expand their presence in south and southeast Yemen.

A Saudi-led coalition which is militarily backing the Yemeni government has also turned its sights on the jihadists.

Washington considers the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be the network's deadliest franchise.