Al-Qaida fighters in Yemen seized air defence base and local airport in the province of Hadramout.

"The al-Qaida gunmen were then heavily deployed inside and around the Rayan local airport," the source said, adding that "all the troops tasked with guarding the government facilities in Mukalla have retreated."

A local tribal chief in Mukalla city told Xinhua that "local officials and tribal mediators are negotiating with al-Qaida commanders in order to let them hand over the airport to local authorities peacefully."

At the same time, local security sources confirmed to Xinhua that fierce fighting erupted between army units and al-Qaida members at Dhabah oil terminal located in Shihr area of Hadramout province.

The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) group took advantage of the country's current political conflicts and advanced in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout by taking control over several military bases during the past few weeks.

Earlier this month, scores of al-Qaida members launched coordinated attacks on government institutions and the central prison in Mukalla city, freeing more than 300 prisoners, including top commanders.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East.