Three policemen shot dead in Yemen

Three policemen were killed by unidentified gunmen in Yemen's southern province of Abyan late Wednesday, a government official said.

The gunmen with assault rifles opened fire at military police officers stationed on the outskirts of Abyan province, killing three policemen on spot, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"Soldiers of the brigade responded to the terrorist attack by firing several tank shells on a suspected Al Qaeda hideout in the same region," the government source added.

Yemeni military officials blamed militants of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda offshoot for a series of assassinations and armed attacks, mostly in the country's southern parts.

The Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also known as Ansar al-Sharia, which emerged in January 2009, is considered one of the greatest threats to the Yemeni government and neighbouring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.