Tuesday, May 22, 2012

11 al-Qaida militants, 12 soldiers killed in fighting in Yemen's south

ADEN, Yemen, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11 al-Qaida militants and 12 government soldiers were killed during fresh battles in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Monday, a military official said.

The fierce battles erupted following an attack launched by al- Qaida militants against an army base in Bajdar, north of Zinjibar, the provincial capital city of Abyan, leaving at least 11 insurgents and 12 soldiers killed, the local military official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

An army barrack of the 201st Armored Brigade in Zinjibar's suburbs was attacked by dozens of al-Qaida fighters, the official said, adding that soldiers of the army barrack confronted the attackers in a three-hour-long battle.

Sources close to the al-Qaida group told Xinhua anonymously that the fighters of the terrorist group "raided an army base in Zinjibar and some weapons depots." "Heavy weapons, including anti- aircrafts arms, were seized by our fighters after the successful operation that came in response to the army all-out attack," the sources said.

Earlier in the day, the al-Qaida launched a suicide bombing attack against a military parade in Yemen's capital of Sanaa, leaving at least 80 soldiers killed and more than 200 others injured, according to medical officials.

The Yemeni armed forces and pro-government tribal militia launched all-out attacks against strongholds of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in Abyan from last week with the help of U.S. military experts.

Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, who took office in February, pledged that large-scale attacks will continue to strike al-Qaida bastions "until eradicate their presence in every village. "

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