Yemeni military officials say the airstrikes early Monday also destroyed a tank seized by militants and several artillery positions in the Dufas area near Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with army rules.

The airstrikes are the latest in an ongoing government campaign to try to dislodge al-Qaida-linked militants from Zinjibar and Jaar, another city in Abyan.

Emboldened by the turmoil from nearly six months of unrest, the militants have been seeking to capture and hold territory in Yemen's nearly lawless south.

Yemen is home to the world's most active al-Qaida branches.