The strikes targeted several vehicles in the Bayda and Hadramut Provinces, and the media report claimed that Abdullah Awad al-Masri, a top bomb-maker for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was reported slain in Bayda.

It is the second flurry of drone attacks over the past few days, as a weekend strike against Hadramut Province also killed five people who were reportedly AQAP members, though none of them have ever been named.

The strikes come as local officials in southern Yemen are expressing concern that the security forces have left them with very little in the way of equipment, and have not followed through on promises of improvements in the areas. It seems that Yemen may be counting on US air power to keep AQAP under wraps for now.