Scores of pro-government militiamen backed by security forces besieged a prominent tribal leader with alleged links to al-Qaida in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Tuesday, a military official told Xinhua.

The residential compound of Tariq al-Fadli, a tribal leader suspected of links to the al-Qaida, was surrounded by scores of militiamen allied to the government and security forces in Zinjibar, Abyan's provincial capital, the local military official said on condition of anonymity.

"Al-Fadli along with his well-armed bodyguards were trapped in a large compound surrounded by anti-Qaida militiamen inside Zinjibar. Armed clashes are expected to erupt overnight," the military source said.

"Leaders of the pro-government militia and army officials gave him an ultimatum to surrender himself to the police peacefully and without armed confrontations, but he strongly refused the suggestion," he added.

Tariq al-Fadli, who was raised in Saudi Arabia and fought in Afghanistan, heads a prominent tribe in Abyan. The Yemeni government accused al-Fadli of having links to al-Qaida's active Yemeni wing and supporting terrorists to stage armed attacks against army troops in Abyan.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot has exploited Yemen's year- long security vacuum during protests against long-time ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh and controlled several southern cities for more than one year before they were driven out by a U.S.-backed army offensive.

On June 20, Yemen's military officials announced seizing al- Qaida's last bastion in the country's troubled south following the military offensive. However, local military and anti-terrorism experts said the Yemeni al-Qaida branch remained a major threat to the impoverished Arab country. Endi

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