Yemeni fighter aircraft on Sunday bombed hideouts of suspected al-Qaida militants in southeastern province of Hadramout, killing four terrorists, a military official told Xinhua.
"Fighter jets of the Yemeni air force carried out a series of raids on hideouts of terrorists and a cache of arms and ammunition were also destroyed in the offensive in Hadramout province," the local military official said on condition of anonymity.
The military official said the air strikes were conducted after intelligence reports that several of al-Qaida militants were hiding in the Hadramout valley. Four gunmen were killed and some others injured in the air bombing.
An intelligence officer said that "scores of the al-Qaida militants from other regions have moved to the valleys of Hadramout where they are attempting to take control of some areas and make plans for terrorist attacks in the country."
Meanwhile, about five Yemeni soldiers were injured during an exchange of fire with suspected al-Qaida attackers near a security outpost in neighboring province of Shabwa, according to army sources.
On Friday night, suspected al-Qaida gunmen ambushed an army convoy in Yemen's province of Hadramout, killing 14 soldiers and beheading them all after their capture.
Since April, the Yemeni government has waged a major offensive on al-Qaida strongholds in the country's southern territories, killing scores of militants. The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) based in Yemen has vowed to hit back.
The AQAP, also known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009 and is considered one of the greatest threats to the Yemeni government and neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.