SANAA, Yemen (CNN) -- Two British men and one American woman were killed Tuesday when Yemeni security forces stormed a mountain hideout where kidnappers had been holding 16 hostages. The remaining hostages were freed, a Yemen security official said.

Two kidnappers were reportedly killed in the raid, the official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. An unknown number of kidnappers were arrested.

The freed hostages included 10 Britons, two Australians and an American. Two British men and an Australian man suffered injuries in the clashes, the official said.

Police said a group called Islamic Jihad kidnapped the tourists Monday near the southern town of Mawdiyah, about 200 kilometers (175 miles) south of the capital, Sanaa.

The group was demanding the release of its leader, Saleh Haidara al-Atwi, who was arrested two weeks ago in a government crackdown on Islamic extremists.

Yemeni officials had begun negotiations with the kidnappers for the hostages' release earlier Tuesday.

The abduction was the first in Yemen by Islamic militants. Yemeni tribesmen frequently kidnap tourists, who are usually released unharmed, to demand government concessions such as new roads, water supplies or clinics.

The Islamic Jihad, which promotes enforcement of strict Islamic law, has about 200 members and ran a military camp in southern Yemen.

Reuters contributed to this report.