At least seven al-Qaeda militants were killed and dozens of others were injured when warplanes of the Yemeni air forces carried out air raids against several hideouts of the group in the southern province of Abyan on Thursday, a local army officer told Xinhua. A number of al-Qaeda targets in Zinjibar city, the provincial capital of Abyan province, were pounded, during which seven militants were killed and dozens of others were injured, the officer told Xinhua, who asked to remain anonymous, adding that fierce clashes were still going on in various areas of Abyan province. Meanwhile, the country's Defense Ministry said Thursday that three al-Qaeda high-profile leaders were killed during several armed clashes with the army troops in Zinjibar.