Sanaa, Nov 25 (IANS): Yemeni counter-terrorism forces freed seven Yemeni hostages and a foreigner, and killed seven Al Qaeda kidnappers in a special operation Tuesday morning, the official Saba news agency reported.

One soldier was lightly wounded in the raid, Saba said, citing a statement by the country's supreme security committee. However, the committee did not say when or where the kidnapping took place, nor disclose the nationality of the foreigner, Xinhua reported citing Saba.

Earlier this month, a Sierra Leonean employee of the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) was freed unharmed after being kidnapped more than a year ago by unidentified Yemeni gunmen.

The security situation in the Arab country worsened after a political upheaval in 2011 and severely weakened the government's control.

Foreigners have since been frequently kidnapped by Al Qaeda militants or tribesmen who ask for ransom or the release of their jailed fellow militants.

Most of the hostages have been freed unharmed. In January, Al Qaeda militants released a South African woman in the southern province of Abyan, but a ransom of millions of US dollars was demanded for the release of her husband, who was abducted in May last year, according to Yemeni media.