SANAA (REUTERS) - An operation by Yemen's armed forces early on Saturday freed an American hostage being held by Al-Qaeda and led to the killing of 10 members of the militant group holding him, the country's Defence Ministry said on its website.

It said the operation took place in the Wadi Abdan Al Daqqar region of Shabwa Province in the southern part of the country.

The Yemeni authority did not reveal the name of the US national. But on Thursday, the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda wing threatened to kill an American journalist, Luke Somers, after the US government launched a rescue operation last month.