Sana'a, Yemen  - Three policemen were wounded in a gun battle with suspected Islamic militants in southern Yemen late Friday, local officials said.

The fighting took place in Ja'ar city, southern Abyan province, where Jihadist fighters have a strong presence. Officials said the militants were believed to be members of a group affiliated to al- Qaeda.

Ja'ar is 600 kilometres south of the capital Sana'a, and is close to the Hatat mountains where armed Islamic groups often take shelter.

Security sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that 40 militants were arrested in a clampdown in Hatat over the past two weeks. (dpa)