Deadly clashes between al-Qaeda militants, Yemen troops

Seventeen al-Qaeda militants and six government troops were killed on Wednesday in clashes in southern Yemen, Arab media reported.

The clashes took place near the south-western town of Zinjibar, the Dubai-based al-Arabiya television channel reported.

The fighting came hours after two suspected al-Qaeda militants were killed in a car bomb in south Yemen, the defence ministry said.

The car exploded when its occupants were trying to drive off from a market in the town of Fayoush, between the province of Lahj and the port city of Aden, the ministry's website said, quoting security officials, DPA reported.

Yemeni military forces and allied tribal fighters have been pursuing in recent weeks a US-backed offensive against militants believed to be linked with al-Qaeda in the troubled south.

Militants calling themselves Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), who are thought to be tied to al-Qaeda, seized control of areas in south Yemen last year, taking advantage of political turmoil in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country and a split in the army.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that tens of thousands were in need of urgent help in south Yemen and their situation had worsened due to the fighting.

"We are extremely concerned about the people trapped inside, and about the dire situation in Ja'ar, Shukra and in nearby areas where fighting is going on," said Eric Marclay, the head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen in a statement.

"Our staff were there a few days ago to assess the situation and found serious, urgent needs that, if not met, could lead to the displacement of over 100,000 people. Thousands of people have already fled to safer places," added Marclay.

The ICRC said that food, electricity and fuel were all in short supply in the southern areas affected by the fighting.

The Yemeni army announced on Monday a curfew on several main roads in the region until further notice, local media reported.

President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi, who took office in February following an internationally backed reconciliation plan, has vowed to combat the radicals, calling it a "religious and national duty."