Tribesmen arrested on Monday five Syrians and three Yemenis at Khoor Omaira of the southern governorate of Lahj.

According to local sources, the tribesmen abducted the Syrians and Yemenis on ground of confrontations broken out with security forces two days ago.

They further spelt out that the tribesmen accuse military commanders of taking over their lands and that they demand to release leaders of the Southern Movement including Bajash al-Aghabri who was arrested several days ago.

Media sources had said that Saudis were among the abducted men, but local sources affirmed that the abducted are Syrian and Yemeni nationals.

Armed tribesmen released on Sunday a Turkish citizen who was kidnapped in Yemen's southern Abyan province in September, Yemeni officials in the capital Sana'a said.

The Turk was released through a tribal mediation and handed over to the Yemeni authorities in the port city of Aden which in turn handed him to a delegate of his country's embassy, the officials said.

Tribal sources had said that Al-Qaeda managed to hire tribesmen to kidnap foreigners and transfer them to South Yemen.

A number of foreigners including a Saudi diplomat and a Swiss nationals are still held by Ansar al-Shariah, an al-Qaeda linked group, in Abyan.

Many countries cautioned its citizens to not travel to Yemen after government troops engaged in deadly clashes with growing armed separatist groups and separately fighting the resurgent al-Qaeda wing which escalated its attacks recently.