Tens of al-Qaeda-linked militants have been reported killed in military operations in south Yemen, DPA reported.
Governor of Abyan province, Saleh al-Zawary, said Tuesday that counterterrorism forces have directed harsh blows against al-Qaeda fighters in the past two days in a number of areas, leaving tens dead and others injured, the state news agency, Saba, reported.
Al-Qaeda militants took over Abyan province in June in the absence of a strict government security presence as the anti-regime uprising perplexed security forces nationwide. Hundreds of families have since fled the area.
Political turmoil has overwhelmed the country since protesters took to the streets in February demanding an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33 years in power.
Rallies were held for and against the Yemeni president Tuesday, amid Eid al-Fitr celebrations, after Saleh promised an early presidential election.
Saleh is currently in Saudi Arabia recovering from deadly burns he sustained in an assassination attack in June. Government sources say Saleh is planning to return to Yemen after the investigation into the attack on his presidential compound is completed.