Yemen's armed forces killed 38 suspected members of al-Qaeda in two days of air raids and shelling of their hideouts in the country's south, a government official said yesterday.

"Thirty-eight members of al-Qaeda were killed in shelling and air strikes that targeted their positions in Huroor throughout the past 48 hours," said the official who spoke from the nearby al-Qaeda stronghold of Jaar.

The town of Huroor lies on the crossroads between the provinces of Lahij and Abyan, where the terror network has a strong presence.

An army officer on ground told AFP that US forces backed the Yemeni military operation.

"The al-Qaeda militants withdrew from Mallah," in Lahij, where they took over an army post on Saturday, "following shelling and air raids by the Yemeni air force with US help," he said, without elaborating.