Yemeni army kills 30 suspected al-Qaeda fighters

It said that several other militants were captured, while four Yemeni troops were killed and 12 injured.

According to the army, the militants were "planning to carry out terrorist attacks" across the country already ravaged by conflict between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Until its recapture by government forces in April, Mukalla was al-Qaeda in Yemen's most populous city. The group held Yemen's fifth largest city for a year after taking it in April 2015.

Following this, the militants regrouped in the surrounding mountains from where they have carried out a series of deadly revenge attacks. This includes two suicide bombings in July at army checkpoints in the city, which killed 11 people.

Also operating around the port city is the Islamic State group [IS], who are at odds with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP]. 

In June, IS claimed a wave of suicide bombings that killed at least 42 people in Mukalla.

Both groups have taken advantage of Yemen's ongoing war to grab territory, with the IS group now controlling parts of the country's south.