Yemeni security official says 2 suspected al-Qaida members killed in clash with army

2 al-Qaida members killed in clash with Yemen army

SAN’A, Yemen — A security official in Yemen says soldiers killed two suspected members of al-Qaida wanted by police and arrested a third in an exchange of fire at a highway checkpoint near the country’s Red Sea coast.

The clash took place Sunday in al-Hudaydah province, an al-Qaida stronghold, and wounded two officers.

The security official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

He said the three men used fake identity cards to pass one checkpoint but were stopped at another and opened fire in an attempt to escape.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s terror network, was formed a year ago when Yemen and Saudi militant groups merged.