The clashes are continuing between the army and Al-Qaeda in Yemen's Southeastern Province of Shabwa, the Defense and Interior Ministries as well as Shabwa Governor and local officials have said.

The battlefield is the Al-Hawtah town, the largest in Shabwa, and the confrontations are running not far from the area where the botched bombing of the LNG pipeline took place last week, they said.

Among the terrorist fighters are foreigners, and militants took over homes in the area and displaced the people, According to Shabwa Governor Ali Al-Ahmedi and Secretary General of the Local Council, who also said that the army and special counterterrorism forces are besieging the region and will not leave it until the terrorists surrender.
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The confrontations started on Friday after suspected Al-Qaeda militants ambushed a security patrol killing and injuring soldiers and civilians on Thursday, the Interior Ministry has previously said.

On Saturday, reports surfaced planes struck the Saqah Mountain and three helicopters landed on the mountain in search of terrorists. There were no casualties because the area is unpopulated.

There is no specific number of the casualties from both sides, but conflicting reports noted ambulances have been seen rushing to the battleground, adding several soldiers were killed and several others were injured.

The Defense Ministry, however, said the army and counterterrorism forces are fighting Al-Qaeda militants in Al-Hawtah and one soldier was injured so far.

The confrontations followed the ground assault against suspected Al-Qaeda fighters in the Lowder district in the neighboring province of Abyan.

Many were killed and injured in Abyan clashes last month. They also come after the security survey of the areas between the two provinces, mainly those where preemptive terror operations were carried out in late 2009 and early this year.