World Bulletin / News Desk

A U.S. drone attacked a convoy of fighters in eastern Yemen overnight, killing three people, a local security official told Reuters news agency on Thursday, as Washington intensifies its aerial campaign against fighters.

The official said the rocket hit the convoy in the Shibam area of the eastern Hadramout province and there was a series of explosions from a vehicle "believed to be laden with explosives."

Residents of the area told Reuters its three passengers were "members of a militant cell". The accounts could not be independently verified.

Many say U.S. drone attacks, which have often killed civilians and are deeply resented by Yemenis.

A Yemeni army offensive is under way in southern Abyan province, where troops backed by tribesmen on Wednesday captured a strategic mountain that controls access to two fighter-held cities.