28/03/2009 Four Yemeni policemen were killed in clashes with fighters during an operation against wanted militants in the south of the country on Saturday, witnesses said.
  
The deadly shootout erupted in Jaar, northeast of the port city of Aden, where police had been hunting for wanted members of jihadist groups.
  
Hospital sources said two policemen and a passerby were also wounded in the fighting.
  
"This campaign comes after dissident elements attacked members of the security forces and government interests, and disrupted peace and security over the past few weeks," a Jaar security official said.
  
Residents of Jaar said that security forces cordoned off the city in the early hours of the morning, and that they searched a number of houses in their hunt for the militants.