Yemen's counter-terrorism troops have killed a commander of an al-Qaida terrorist cell behind the killing of a French security personnel two days ago, the state news agency reported Wednesday.

Special forces stormed an al-Qaida-held house in the Shumailah district of south Sanaa and killed the commander, Wael Abdullah al- Waeli, and another suspect, Saba News Agency reported, quoting an Interior Ministry official.

A third suspect was arrested.

"Al-Waeli was the mastermind of a number of other assassinations and armed attacks on foreigners, including the kidnapping of a Dutch couple several months ago," the official said.

On Monday, a French security worker, who was employed by the EU mission in Yemen, was killed when armed men opened fire on his car. Another French national was injured.

Six foreigners have been kidnapped in Sanaa over the past two months, including two British nationals and a German.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is still holding an Iranian diplomat since July last year and a Saudi diplomat since May 2012.

The Yemeni government has waged a wide-scale assault on al- Qaida strongholds in the country's southern territories since last week, killing scores of militants.

The AQAP has vowed to hit back. Endi

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