Farmers killed in U.S. drone attack in Yemen

Farmers killed in U.S. drone attack in Yemen
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 A farmer was killed Wednesday in a U.S. drone attack which witnesses said may have been aimed at militants in southeastern Yemen .

Some witnesses said the farmer was killed by a rocket fired flake two unmanned aircraft on Wednesday morning when he walked into his home in the village of al - Houta , near the city of Shibam , Reuters reported .

A local government official confirmed the report but declined to give further details .

Improving U.S. drone strike in Yemen as part of efforts to crack down on AQAP , which is regarded by Washington as the most deadly branch of Al Qaeda .

On January 8 , two Al-Qaeda militants unexpectedly killed in a U.S. drone attack in Hadramout province , southeastern Yemen .

The plane fired at least one missile into a car in the al - Qatan , which resulted in the vehicle was destroyed and two people killed .

On December 27 , the drone attacks are believed to belong to the U.S. also unexpectedly killed two members of Al-Qaeda in the region of Hadramout .

" The drone attacks that targeted a vehicle carrying two members of Al Qaeda unexpectedly , destroying the vehicle and killing them , " said a government official in the province of Hadramout , which is the base of Al -Qaeda , told AFP .

The attack came a day after the experts of the UN human rights expresses " serious concern " over the attacks U.S. drone in Yemen in December which resulted in the deaths of scores of civilians .

The UN said in a statement on December 26, 16 civilians were killed and at least 10 others injured when two wedding convoy attacked in Yemen drone on Dec. 12 .

The victim has been misinterpreted as a member of Al Qaeda , the United Nations said quoting local security officials .

Al Qaeda militants strengthen their presence in southeastern Yemen , taking advantage of the weakening of the central government due to the anti - government uprising that erupted in January 2011 that eventually oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh .

Yemeni forces launched an offensive in May 2012 repulsed the militants of Al Qaeda from a number of towns and villages in southern and eastern region for more than a year to master.

Although weakened , the terror network could still launch attacks against military and police targets .

Yemen is the ancestral homeland of the late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and is still facing separatist violence in the north and south .

North Yemen and South Yemen formally united to form the Republic of Yemen in 1990, but many in the south , home to most of Yemen's oil , saying that the north uses unification to seize natural resources and discriminate against them .

Western countries , especially the U.S. , are increasingly concerned over the threat of extremism in Yemen , including the activities of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP ) .

The U.S. wants the new president of Yemen , ruling after protests against the country's military predecessor making split into warring groups , uniting the armed forces and use them to fight against the militant group .

Militants launched a wave of attacks since former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in February 2012 handed over power to his deputy , Abd - Rabbu Mansour Hadi , who has promised to crack down on Al Qaeda .