Five policemen were killed after al-Qaeda gunmen attacked a patrol vehicle in south-eastern Yemen on Thursday, a security source said.
The source told the German Press Agency dpa that the assailants opened fire at the vehicle in Ataq, the provincial capital of Saba province, around 570 kilometres south east of the capital, Sana'a.
An extensive manhunt was launched to capture the attackers who fled to nearby mountains, the source said, requesting anonymity.