Thousands of Yemenis flee battle with al-Qaida

Thousands of people have fled a village in southern Yemen where security forces are laying siege to al-Qaida militants, a security official said, signaling an escalation in the government's US-backed campaign to uproot the terror network's local offshoot.

Government forces have moved into the village of Hawta with tanks and armored vehicles and 90 percent of its residents have fled, Abdullah Baouda, police chief for the surrounding district, said on Monday. (AP)