Yemeni officials said Saturday that at least 24 people had been killed in the southern Zinjibar region, where security forces have been battling militants.
Officials say security forces mistakenly killed at least 14 pro-government tribesmen on Friday during air raids targeting suspected al-Qaida militants.
In a separate incident, officials say armed militants ambushed an army unit in the region. Officials say at least one military officer and four soldiers were killed in the clashes that followed. They say at least five militants died in the fighting.
Al-Qaida-linked militants have seized areas in southern Yemen during the six-month-old uprising pressing for President Ali Abdullah Saleh's resignation.
Saleh remains in Saudi Arabia where he is recovering from injuries sustained in a June attack on his presidential compound.
The U.S. has expressed concern that the militants will take advantage of Yemen's anti-government unrest to expand their haven in the country and plot attacks against the West.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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