Attacks on al-Qaeda militants have killed at least nine people in the south of Yemen, officials have said.

At least one of the attacks is reported to have involved a US drone which destroyed a car parked near the target house in Azzan, in Shabwa province.

Several hundred militants are believed to have fled to the town after the nearby strongholds of Jaar and Zinjibar were recaptured by the army on Tuesday.

There were reports that as many as 30 may have been killed in the attacks.

One resident in Azzan said the explosions had been so strong that they had shaken the entire town.