Yemeni troops killed the second in command of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, regarded by Washington as the extremist network's deadliest branch, in a raid in the east, the defense ministry news website said on Monday.

"The Saudi terrorist Saeed al-Shehri, the second man in Al-Qaeda, was killed in a quality operation by the armed forces in Hadramawt," the 26sep.net news website reported.

"Six other terrorist elements accompanying him were also killed," it added quoting what it said was a "high-ranking source," without mentioning when the operation took place.

"Shehri's death deals a painful blow to what's left of the terrorist elements."

Al-Manar website could not independently confirm the incident death.

Shehri escaped death on September 20 last year when US drones carried out several air strikes on the village of Al-Mahfad in Abyan province in the south.