Manhunt launched for al-Qa'ida fighters in Yemen

(GETTY)

Yemen has launched a manhunt for al-Qa'ida militants in its southern Shabwa province, the same day a US-born Muslim cleric sought by Washington and thought to be hiding in that area appeared in an online video.

The US-based terrorism monitoring service Site Institute released a video showing Anwar al-Awlaki sitting at a table in traditional Yemeni garb and delivering a religious lecture in Arabic.

Yemeni security forces and local tribes began combing the mountainous Said district in Shabwa for al-Qa'ida fighters on Saturday morning, a security official in Shabwa told Reuters. Members of Awlaki's own tribe were helping with the search, the official said.

The Shabwa governor and the Awlaki clan have signed a deal under which they would "expel al-Qa'ida elements from their territories and mount a joint operation with the army (to do so)," he added.