At least 12 al-Qaida militants were killed and five others were wounded in clashes on Tuesday with army troops in southern Yemeni province of Abyan, local official sources told Xinhua.

"As many as 12 al-Qaida militants were killed and five others were injured in clashes with troops in Lodar district in the southern troubled province of Abyan," the official said on condition of anonymity, which was confirmed by the Yemeni Defense Ministry.

Abyan, a hotbed of the resurgent Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), has witnessed a string of deadly clashes since 2009.

The impoverished Arab state, indulged with weeks-long anti-government protests demanding an immediate end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's long time rule, has reached a turning point after scores of government officials, diplomats, army and security officers turned out to support the rallies.