A commander of the anti-Qaida militiamen along with two of his bodyguards were killed in a terrorist attack in Yemen's southern province of Lahj on Saturday morning, a security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"Attackers suspected of belonging to al-Qaida group opened fire and killed a commander of the tribal militiamen who backed the government and fought alongside with the army against the terrorist elements in Lahj province," the local security official said.

The attack took place near Yemen's largest air base of Al Anad that has long been known to host U.S. military troops who help the Yemeni counter-terrorism in tracking and hunting al-Qaida leaders.

On Friday, The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP) expressed support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an al-Qaida splinter group, which has aroused infighting among Sunni militant groups in Syria and Iraq.

The impoverished Arab country has been gripped by regional al- Qaida insurgency since 2009. The terrorist group mainly based in southern and eastern provinces have frequently launched suicide attacks against the army and security bodies, which have left hundreds of people dead. Endi

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