At least seven al-Qaida militants were killed in armed clashes with pro-government tribesmen in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Tuesday, an official siad.
The pro-government tribesmen repulsed a surprise attack by a group of Al-Qaida gunmen against a key checkpoint manned by tribal fighters in Abyan's suburbs, leaving seven terrorists killed at the scene, Xinhua reported citing a military official.
On Sunday, suspected Al-Qaida gunmen attacked a security checkpoint in Abyan, injuring three policemen.
Yemeni security services have repeatedly blamed militants of the Yemen-based Al-Qaida offshoot for a series of assassination attacks, mostly in the country's southern regions.
The Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which emerged in January 2009, is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and its neighbouring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.