A suspected US drone strike killed two alleged Al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Thursday, tribal sources said.

A suspected US drone strike killed two alleged Al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Thursday, tribal sources said.

The charred bodies of the two men, who had been riding a motorbike, were found in the town of Mudia in the southern province of Abyan, the sources said.

Drone strikes against Al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen intensified this week with at least 20 militants killed in raids by unmanned aircraft in the central province of Baida on Monday.

On Wednesday, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced the death of two of its top commanders, Shawki al-Baadani and Nabil al-Dahab, in those raids.

The United States in October announced $45 million in rewards on the heads of the leaders of AQAP, which it considers one of the network's most dangerous subsidiaries.

The United States is the only country operating drones over Yemen, but US officials rarely confirm individual strikes.