**The alleged leader of an al-Qaeda cell in Yemen has been killed in an exchange of fire with security forces, according to a provincial governor.**Abdullah Mehdar is said to have been the leader of an al-Qaeda group in the province of Shabwa, 375 miles (600km) east of the capital Sanaa.
Reports said security forces had besieged the house he was hiding in.
Yemen’s state news agency also reported two Yemeni soldiers were killed in a road ambush in the same province.
The spotlight was turned on Yemen after the Yemen-based group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said it carried out a failed bomb attack on a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day.
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama said he had “no intention” of sending US troops to Yemen or Somalia to combat militant groups in those countries.
Analysts say al-Qaeda militants have been moving to Yemen after coming under pressure in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and following a crackdown in Saudi Arabia.
Last week, Yemeni officials said another local al-Qaeda leader and two other militants were arrested after they were injured in a raid 25 miles (40km) north of Sanaa.