Yemeni forces kill 2 al-Qaeda suspects

Two al-Qaeda militants were reported killed by security forces in Yemen on Monday, as several embassies of Western countries remain closed after threats of an attack.

The two fighters died in a raid on a group of militants in the mountainous region of Arhab. Nazeeh al-Hanaq, who is described as a senior figure on Yemen's most-wanted list, was in the group, but he escaped, a Yemeni official said on condition of anonymity.

Officials said the raid was not linked to threats that led several countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., to shut down their embassies. The French and Czech embassies were closed to the public, while the Spanish and German embassies limited the access of the public.

The U.S. and U.K. embassies in the country closed on Sunday. France's embassy is not open to the public, but staff are working. Spain's embassy in the Yemeni capital of San'a also has restricted public access.

Although the government of impoverished Yemen is weak outside of the capital, it has staged several recent raids against militants who have set up strongholds in the country. The U.S. has backed the raids.

U.S. and U.K. counterterrorism support in Yemen has gone up quickly, as special units are funded and trained to fight al-Qaeda.

U.S. President Barack Obama said an al-Qaeda related group in Yemen was behind a failed Christmas Day attempt to bomb a U.S. passenger jet flying from Amsterdam to Detroit.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the situation in Yemen has "global implications" and the government must take steps to improve it.