Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- Seven people were killed and 32 suspected militants were arrested in Yemen during a military offensive touted by the government as part of an intensified hunt for terrorists, the state-run news agency reported Sunday, citing security sources.
Five of the dead were members of al Qaeda, the Saba News Agency said, adding that two Yemeni soldiers were also killed.
Military sources had previously told CNN four soldiers were killed and three wounded in clashes between the country's security forces and suspected militants in the southern Shabwa province.
Rights groups have voiced concern about the operation. Human Rights Watch said the Yemeni Red Crescent was estimating that the fighting had displaced as many as 12,000 people from their homes.
Civilians were used as human shields by suspected militants, who restricted their movements during the attack, the Saba News Agency reported.
It also said the military seized a bomb-laden car that militants had planned to use to carry out a suicide attack.
CNN
