Two al-Qaeda leaders were killed Thursday in a military operation targeting them in the south-eastern Yemeni province of Shabwa, dpa reported according to a security source.
The two men were identified as brothers Musaed and Abdullah Mubarak, and were killed in the home province of prominent US-born al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, the source told the German Press Agency dpa, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source could not confirm whether the operation was conducted by an unmanned US drone, as reported by other media.
The brothers had been regarded as dangerous and had been involved in many acts of terrorism, according to the Yemeni Defence Ministry.
On Wednesday, al-Qaeda gunmen blew up a military vehicle in the southern province of Abyan, killing four soldiers and three civilians and wounding nine others in a crowded market place.
Al-Qaeda gunmen have recently carried out a number of attacks on army and security targets in the province.