Seven members of a Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot were killed when a military warplane bombed their convoy in the southern province of Abyan on Friday evening, a government official told Xinhua.

The warplane bombed the convoy of the terrorist group in the town of Mahfad, leaving at least seven killed at the scene, the official said on condition of anonymity.

"Three rockets bombed a pick-up truck carrying al-Qaida militants in a valley in Abyan's town of Mahfad. The strike completely destroyed the vehicle along with the people onboard," he said. "Initial reports show that seven terrorists were killed."

A local tribal chief told Xinhua: "The airstrike was carried out by a US drone. The bombing was so powerful that several people were killed and injured."

The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has been waging an insurgency of more than three years in the country, has not yet made any comments.

The terrorist branch based in Yemen's southern region repeatedly said that its attacks were carried out in revenge against joint US-Yemeni operations, including drone strikes, against the group.

Drone strikes have increased since August after the United States temporarily closed its embassy in Sanaa due to security threats. The Yemeni government said more than 40 suspected AQAP fighters were killed in the strikes.