General Nasser Naji bin Farid, commander of military forces in central Yemen, was killed on Saturday in an ambush, army and tribal sources said, blaming Al-Qaeda.

"The convoy of General Bin Farid was attacked near Marib by armed men," a military source said of the incident in the city, 140 kilometres (87 miles) east of Sanaa.

Another officer, Colonel Hamid al-Qaher, was also killed, while gunmen wounded some of the soldiers in the convoy and seized two vehicles and several firearms, a tribal source said.

Both said the attack bears the hallmark of Al-Qaeda.

The militant group has carried out multiple attacks against army and security services mostly in the south and east of Yemen where it is well established.