Yemeni aircrafts stroke on Wednesday Ansar al-Sharia-- al-Qaeda affiliate in the country--hideouts in the southeastern province of Shabwa, killing at least 27 militants including leading figures, local sources said.

The sources said that government warplanes launched some airstrikes targeting the militant's whereabouts in Azan town, al-Qaeda stronghold, and in al-Hota, the provincial capital.

The sources said that dozens of the al-Qaeda-linked militants were in the building when it was bombed, leaving at least 27 of them killed. Also, rumors circulating around the province indicated that the building was used as a laboratory for making explosives.

A senior security officer confirmed that senior al-Qaeda leaders were among those killed in the airstrikes.

However, the terror network denied in a statement posted on Facebook that some militants were killed in the bombing. It said that the airstrikes were conducted by US drones; not by Yemeni air force.

The militant group said that the airstrikes targeted a house that belongs to a citizen from Azan, destroying the house and damaging a nearby mosque.

According to the statement, no victims have fallen as a result to the airstrikes.

In the meantime, the clashes between the army troops and al-Qaeda militant are still ongoing in Shaqra area of Abyan, after the militants were driven out yesterday of the their biggest strongholds: Zinjubar, the provincial capital of Abyan, and Ja'ar.

The army's victory is considered the biggest so far since the terrorist organization took advantage of the unrest and seized huge swaths of land in the south last year.