Yemeni security forces have killed a leader of the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda in an exchange of fire in the southern province of Shabwa.

Last week, Yemen also reported a success in its fight against the terrorist network with the arrest of an al-Qaeda leader. Yemen is under pressure from the West to crack down on its militant Muslims. The Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the attempted attack on a US passenger plane on Christmas Day and the Nigerian involved is thought to have been trained in Yemen.

Yemen insists that it is winning the battle, reporting several recent successful offensives against Muslim rebel groups elsewhere in Yemen.

Photo: EPA