Three US drone strikes killed nine suspected members of Al-Qaeda in the Yemen province of Marib, AFP quoted a tribal chief and witnesses as saying on Sunday.

Three US drone strikes killed nine suspected members of Al-Qaeda in the Yemen province of Marib, AFP quoted a tribal chief and witnesses as saying on Sunday.

One raid late on Saturday targeted a vehicle transporting four suspected members of the terrorist network in Wadi Abida, east of the city of Marib, 170 kilometres (110 miles) east of Sanaa, the tribal source said.

"The bodies of the four dead were charred," he said, requesting anonymity, adding that only the body of Ismail bin Jamil, a local Al-Qaeda chief, was identified.

A witness said that car was engulfed in flames.

Another raid struck a vehicle in the same area killing five people including Hamad Hassan Ghreib, a member of Al-Qaeda, the tribal source later said, adding that all five belonged to the extremist group.

Local sources said that two of the passengers were Saudi Qaeda militants.

A raid earlier in the evening targeted another vehicle transporting four people.