Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been linked to a number of failed terror plots against the United States, and its leader has appeared in a rare video in which he vowed to attack Western "crusaders ... Everywhere in the world".
A top Yemeni official told AFP the "unprecedented" Saturday-Sunday air war came after "information that Al-Qaeda was plotting attacks on vital installations, military and security, as well as foreign interests in Yemen."
Tribal sources had put the death toll from the raids near the town of Al-Mahfad at more than 30.
The interior ministry said the raids lasted several hours, adding that "terrorists of Arab and foreign nationalities are among the dead and are in the process of being identified."
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The top official said Yemeni MiG-29 jet fighters took part in the raids, which tribal sources said involved unmanned drones.
The United States is the only country operating drones over Yemen, but US officials rarely acknowledge the covert drone programme.
Witnesses confirmed the vehicle was completely destroyed and said they saw the charred remains of three individuals.
Shortly after the attack, commandos in an unmarked helicopter arrived to retrieve the bodies, they said.
"The operation seems to indicate that one of the dead could be an important leader of Al-Qaeda," one witness told AFP.
And on Saturday, a drone strike in the central province of Baida killed 10 Al-Qaeda suspects and three civilians, official Saba news agency reported. It did not say who carried out the attack.