Two al-Qaida suspects on Sunday were killed and three others wounded during an armed clash with police forces in Yemen's southern province of Lahj, a government official told Xinhua.

The armed clash occurred after a raid to arrest wanted al-Qaida members in the eastern suburbs of Lahj province, leaving at least two terrorists killed and three others injured at the scene, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"Two al-Qaida suspects were killed by police bullets as the clash turned violent between the two sides near a house held by several armed men," the government source said, adding that police troops were forced to fire after they failed to storm the al-Qaida- held house in Lahj province.

Yemeni security authorities try to root out suspected al-Qaida members of the country's restive southern regions, according to local military sources.

In January 2009, al-Qaida affiliates in Saudi Arabia and Yemen officially merged and formed Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP).

The group, which mainly entrenches itself in Yemen's southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, is on the terrorist list of the United States which considers it as an increasing threat to the national security.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemen's new President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi who won support from major Yemeni political forces, the United States and Saudi Arabia. Endi

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