Yemeni officials say 3 militants accidentally blow themselves up in explosion in south

SANAA, Yemen – Security officials in Yemen say three alleged al-Qaida operatives have accidentally blown themselves up while outfitting a car with explosives in preparation for an operation in the southern Yemeni province of Shabwa.

Tribesmen from the area and security officials identified the three, one Saudi and two Yemenis, as al-Qaida members. The group is known to be active in the province's Habban region, where the explosion took place Sunday.

The U.S considers Yemen's al-Qaida branch, also called al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, to be the network's most dangerous offshoot. The group seized much of the south after Yemen's 2011 uprisings. A U.S.-backed military offensive later drove militants out of cities and towns, but they continue to stage attacks.