Sanaa, October 27 (RHC)-- The U.S. has carried out another drone strike in Yemen’s southern province of al-Bayda, killing at least a dozen people in the attack. According to reports on Sunday, the US drone attack took place in the city of Rada’a, where Houthi fighters are battling al-Qaeda-linked militants.

Yemen’s city of Rada’a has been the scene of fierce clashes as Houthi fighters push to drive out al-Qaeda-linked militants from the region. The Houthi fighters moved into al-Manasseh area in al-Bayda province on Sunday, driving out al-Qaeda-linked militants from the area regarded as one of the strongholds of the militants in the strategic province in central parts of the country.

According to tribal sources, all those killed were militants, but there has been no official confirmation from the government or the Houthi side. Some tribal sources have put the death toll at about 20.

Scores of Yemenis have lost their lives in similar attacks over the past few months. The U.S. administration claims that its unmanned aircraft attacks target al-Qaeda militants, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the non-UN-sanctioned airstrikes.

Last October, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said U.S. killer drone strikes in Yemen had led to the deaths of many civilians over the past years in a blatant violation of international law. In February, the rights group called on Washington to investigate a fatal drone strike on a wedding ceremony in Yemen in December. HRW said in a report, dubbed “A Wedding That Became a Funeral: US Drone Attack on Marriage Procession in Yemen,” that the December 12, 2013 attack killed a dozen men and wounded at least 15 others, including the bride.