Yemeni army and security forces have carried out sweep operations and chased members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network out of a town in Shabwa province, Press TV reported.
"Security forces backed by the army managed to clear the town of al-Houta of al-Qaeda elements. They are currently hunting down the terrorists, who fled to mountainous areas surrounding the city," the state-run 26.sep website quoted Shabwa Security Director Brigadier General Ahmed al-Maqdashi as saying on Friday.
The Yemeni government is currently fighting against al-Qaeda militants in the south of the country.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda, is tied to several terrorist plots in the United States, including a failed Christmas Day attack on a Detroit-bound airliner.
The 23-year-old Nigerian suspect, identified as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, claimed to have received training and instructions from al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen.