Military helicopters and drones launched a series of attacks on suspected al-Qaeda targets in southern Yemen.

Military helicopters and drones launched a series of attacks on suspected al-Qaeda targets in southern Yemen early on Friday, witnesses said.

The unidentified aircraft, believed to be American, also deployed troops on the ground in the al-Saeed area in Shabwa province and engaged suspected al-Qaeda militants in a battle that lasted nearly half an hour.

One of the targets was the home of Saad Atef, an al Qaeda leader in the area.

The assault included about 10 to 15 airstrikes, some of which hit civilian homes, the residents said. A number of civilians were among the wounded, they added.

Fragments from the strikes hit the home of local southern leader Naser al-Nouba, who told newspaper Aden Press he was about 100m away from the fighting.

About three hours later, residents in the Jabal Mugan area of neighbouring Abyan province also reported strikes by aircraft flying over the area.

Battles between suspected Al Qaeda fighters and U.S. soldiers there also lasted about a half hour, and began again around 5 a.m., they said.