33 Killed in Fighting between Yemen Army, Qaida
Thirty-three people, including six soldiers, were killed in Saturday clashes between al-Qaida and the army in southern Yemen as troops advanced towards the Abyan provincial capital Zinjibar, military and local sources said.
Soldiers from the 25th Mechanized Brigade "managed early on Saturday to deal heavy blows to terrorists in Maraqid and Mashqasa ... killing 20 terrorist elements, most of them Somalis," Brigadier General Mohammed al-Sawmali told defense ministry news website 26sep.net.
"Two soldiers were killed and four others were wounded," 26sep.net quoted him as saying.
Troops "cleansed" Maraqi and Mashqasa, located on the northeastern outskirts of Zinjibar, and seized machineguns, rockets, and rocket propelled grenades, the same source said.
Meanwhile, at Jaar, a major al-Qaida stronghold in Abyan, four soldiers were killed in battles on the town's outskirts, a military official told Agence France Presse.
A source there said seven militants also died.
Yemeni forces launched an offensive on May 12 to capture al-Qaida controlled areas in Abyan.
Since the offensive began, 332 people have been killed, according to a tally compiled by AFP, including 242 al-Qaida fighters, 55 military personnel, 18 local militiamen and 17 civilians.
Source: Agence France Presse
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