Two killed in eastern Yemen drone strike

Two men were killed on Tuesday when US drones targeted suspected militants in a remote area of eastern Yemen, local media reported.

Independent news website Mareb Press, quoting local sources, said that the dead men were a Saudi citizen and a local tribesman, dpa reported.

Groups of al-Qaeda fighters were also reported to have gathered in areas around the border between the central province of Ibb and the southern province of Abyan.

Mareb Press reported air raids on those areas as well but without any indication of casualties.

Fighters linked to al-Qaeda occupied a series of towns in Abyan from mid-2011 until they were driven out in a government offensive in recent months.

In a separate development, the official committee charged with preparations for a planned national dialogue conference condemned an attack Monday night on committee member and Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) secretary general Yassin Said Numan.

Numan was stopped at an unofficial checkpoint in the capital Sana'a and a shot was subsequently fired at his car, according to the committee's statement reported by the official SABA news agency.

The attack came two days after an assassination attempt in Aden, southern Yemen, on YSP transport minister Waed Bathib.