37 Al Qaeda militants killed in Yemen

Sana, May 4 (IANS) At least 37 Al Qaeda militants were killed during a fresh military operation by Yemen's armed forces in Shabwa province Sunday, the defence ministry said.

"The army and the security forces carried out an operation and battled the Al Qaeda militants in Shabwa province, killing 37 terrorists and injuring dozens of others," the country's defense ministry said in a short text message to Xinhua.

Scores of Al Qaeda militants were wounded and five others detained during the military operation which took place in the Maifaa region of Shabwa, the statement said.

According to the state-run Saba News Agency, "most of those killed in the fighting on Sunday were Saudis, Afghans, Somalis and Chechens and other nationalities."

A military official told Xinhua that "10 militants were injured after a vehicle carrying them set off a roadside bomb planted by their men in Shabwa's outskirts."

The armed forces recovered and defused 10 roadside bombs and landmines during the military operation in Shabwa, the official said.

On Tuesday, Yemen's armed forces launched an all-out offensive with more than 1,600 soldiers and 400 security personnel on several Al Qaeda hideouts in the country's southern territories.

The Yemen-based Al Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, or Partisans of Islamic Law, warned the military authorities not to target Al Qaeda strongholds and vowed to launch more attacks in revenge.