At least four people were killed during clashes between al Qaeda-linked militants and pro-government tribesmen in Maarib province, east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, a tribal source said early on Wednesday, December 12, according to Reuters.

Three of the dead were Islamist militants and the fourth was a tribesman fighting on behalf of the government, the source said.

The tribesmen, on whom the government depends heavily in its fight against Islamist militancy, have been seeking those responsible for the killings of 17 army officers and soldiers in an ambush on Saturday.

The soldiers were killed inspecting a pipeline in the Wadi Obaida area of oil-producing Marib province. The pipeline had been the target of attacks by Islamist militants and tribesmen.

Yemeni military planes also struck at Qaeda insurgents suspected of being behind the ambush on Tuesday.

Yemen's stability is a priority for the United States and its Gulf Arab allies because of the impoverished Arab state's strategic position next to top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and shipping lanes, and because it is home to one of the most active wings of al Qaeda.