Two suspected al-Qaida militants were killed and two others wounded in the US drone attack in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout on Wednesday, a government official told Xinhua.

The US drone fired two missiles, which struck a small vehicle in the outskirts al-Qatan region in Hadramout province, killing at least two al-Qaida members and wounding two others, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

A local resident told Xinhua that "this afternoon, we heard a powerful explosion and saw a drone disappearing far into the sky, a small car was burned and at least two people were killed at the scene."

A military intelligence officer confirmed to Xinhua that "the strike was aimed at a top commander of the al-Qaida terrorist group travelling in the vehicle."

The al-Qaida spokesman was not available to comment immediately about the drone strike.

Washington has escalated its drone strikes on the al-Qaida network in Yemen since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012 after a UN-backed power transfer deal removed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot frequently attack state institutions, the military and foreign missions in the country.

On Dec. 5, 12 al-Qaida militants attacked the Yemeni defense ministry, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200.