The sister of British-born American photojournalist Luke Somers has said he has been killed in a failed rescue attempt in Yemen as Telegraph reports.

Lucy Somers told The Associated Press on Saturday that she learned of her 33-year-old brother's death from FBI agents. There was no immediate comment from Washington.

Earlier Yemen Defense Ministry said the operation took place in the Wadi Abdan Al Daqqar region of Shabwa Province in the southern part of the country.

Later AFP reported that US-Yemeni forces in bid to free American held by Qaeda according to security sources.

Today drone strikes killed nine suspected Al-Qaeda militants Saturday in southeast Yemen, where the US military launched a failed operation last month to rescue an American hostage, security and tribal sources said.

"Several drone strikes have targeted Al-Qaeda positions in Nusab (in Shabwa province), killing nine members of the network," a security source told AFP.

A tribal leader said soldiers of an unknown nationality were seen parachuting into the area and clashes ensued, suggesting it could be a new operation to try to free the US hostage.

Yemen’s Al Qaeda branch publishes a video purporting to show an American hostage and threaten to kill him if their demands are not met.

Luke Somers, a 33-year-old photojournalist, was abducted in 2013 in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, according to media reports. In a YouTube video published Wednesday, he says he is certain his "life is in danger."