Clashes between government troops and suspected al Qaeda militants in Yemen left at least 10 people dead Saturday, according to two senior security officials.

The dead included three soldiers and seven suspected militants, the officials said.

At least four government-armored vehicles were also destroyed in the violence, according to the officials.

The clashes took place in four different districts of Yemen's southern Abyan province in a sign that suspected militants have not been weakened by recent government raids.

Residents in Abyan said that troops conducted house-to-house searches and arrested two suspected militants.