DHAKA: Yemeni troops have launched a ground assault against al-Qaeda suspects who fled a recent large army operation in the south to a district near the capital Sanaa, killing three fighters.

Sources told media, reports Al Jazeera.

‘Yemen’s anti-terrorism forces carried out a military operation in Arhab… killing three Al-Qaeda militants and arresting four others,’ a security official said. Arhab is approximately 35 kilometers away from Sanaa.

Tribal sources in the region said the army had closed access to Arhab as it continued to target fighters.

The same sources said that in late 2011, the targeted suspects had fought in Syria, where foreigners had joined the conflict between forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad and rebels battling to overthrow him.

The fighters, who included foreigners, returned to Yemen and were in the southern al-Qaeda bastions of Shabwa and Abyan before an army offensive that was launched on April 29 drove them to Arhab, according to the tribal sources.

The army says it has inflicted heavy losses upon al-Qaeda during its latest offensive.

BDST: 2003 HRS, MAY 25, 2014