The son of slain U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was among seven suspected al-Qaida militants killed in a recent airstrike.

Tribal leaders say Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki was killed Friday, along with four other members of the Awlaqi clan, in a suspected U.S. strike in southeastern Shabwa province.

Earlier, Yemen's Defense Ministry said the media chief for al-Qaida's Yemen branch, Egyptian-born Ibrahim al-Bana, also died in the strike.

The elder Awlaqi was killed in a U.S. drone strike on September 30. He was wanted in both the United States and Yemen for his suspected role in terrorist attacks and ties to the Yemen-based group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

In a separate development, Yemeni security forces opened fire on protesters in the capital, Sanaa, killing at least six people and wounding dozens of others.

Reports say security officials used live rounds and tear gar to disperse thousands of protesters marching through the city calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Elsewhere in the country, suspected militants blew up a gas pipeline that transports gas from Marib province to the Balhaf port on the Arabian Sea.