At least seven Shiite Houthi fighters were killed and five others injured in a suspected al-Qaida attack in Yemen's southern al-Bayda province Wednesday evening, a government official told Xinhua.

"Unknown gunmen believed to be al-Qaida operatives attacked a house of a tribal leader allied with the Shiite Houthi group in Radda town of al-Bayda province, killing at least seven people inside," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"The victims were in a meeting with the tribal leader inside the house when the armed attack occurred," the official said, adding that the two sides exchanged fires for about half an hour.

The impoverished Arab country has seen persistent unrest since 2011 when mass protests forced former President Ali Abdullash Saleh to step down.

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took over power in 2012, but submitted resignation to the parliament on Jan. 22 amid standoff with the Houthi group.

Yemen has since been facing growing secessionism and al-Qaida networks in the south and armed groups, including the powerful Houthi, in the north. Endit

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