Yemeni gunmen 'launch assaults'

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Gunmen in Yemen have attacked a government building and police checkpoints around the town of Mareb, east of the capital Sanaa, reports say.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

The governor of Mareb, Arif al-Zawka, denied reports that an electricity station had also been attacked.

The attacks came a day after officials said police had killed four al-Qaeda militants suspected of involvement in a suicide attack last month.

Ten people died in the attack, including eight Spanish tourists.

One of those killed in the police raid was Kassem al-Raimi, an alleged top al-Qaeda operative thought to have masterminded the bombing.

Yemen has faced continuing unrest in recent years, which the government often blames on al-Qaeda operatives.

The government has been fighting Islamists with the help of US special forces based in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa.

Al-Qaeda has demanded the release of militants jailed in the country.