The Yemeni army says it has killed 34 al-Qaeda members in an air raid. The suspected terrorists were holding a meeting in Wadi Rafadh, a remote mountainous region some 650 kilometres east of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, in the province of Chabwa.

Last week, the Yemeni army killed 28 al-Qaeda members and arrested 17 others in the south-eastern Abyane province. They were suspected of planning suicide attacks in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and other locations.

Yemen has stood behind the United States in the war on terrorism ever since the attacks on 11 September 2001. The Middle Eastern country, which is currently fighting Shiite militants in the north and separatist forces in the south, has intensified its campaign against al-Qaeda in recent weeks.

Map showing location of Yemen from Wikimedia Commons