Global General

15 soldiers, 3 al-Qaida militants killed in S Yemen clashes

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-21 04:18

SANAA - At least 15 soldiers and three al- Qaida militants were killed Friday in continuing clashes in Lodar district in the southern Yemeni province of Abyan, a provincial security official said.

Eight soldiers were killed when a rocket-propelled grenade fired by al-Qaida militants hit an armored vehicle of the security forces. Gunshots killed another seven soldiers in the exchange of fire with al-Qaida group, said the official.

Related readings:  Three soldiers killed in alleged al-Qaida attack in S Yemen  Al-Qaida open fire at British embassy to Yemen  Yemen says thwarts al Qaeda plot in oil province  US confirms detention of 12 citizens in Yemen

He told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the security forces fired back with machine guns and mortars, killing at least three al-Qaida group members.

He said a military and security backup were dispatched to the area as the current security forces are cordoned off the al-Qaida- seized Lodar city.

Separately, two Yemeni policemen were killed and another wounded late Thursday when militants belonging to al-Qaida with AK-47 rifles allegedly opened fire at a police patrol in a marketplace in Lodar, the ruling party's website, almotamar.net, reported Friday.

Abyan province has been the scene of a series of deadly attacks allegedly carried out by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) since early this year, leaving dozens of security personnel dead and injured.

Yemen, the ancestral homeland of al-Qaida network leader Osama bin Laden, has intensified security operations and air raids against terrorist groups, after the Yemen-based al-Qaida wing claimed responsibility for a failed Christmas Day attempt to blow up a U.S. passenger plane bound for Detroit last year.