Yemen Troops Launch Offensive on Qaida-Held City

Yemeni troops launched an all-out offensive on Saturday to retake the southern city of Zinjibar, held for a year by al-Qaida gunmen, in fighting that killed 12 people, military and local sources said.

The "wide offensive" began from three sides and is supported by the air force and the navy," said a military official, adding that Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed is supervising the operation from nearby.

"The defense minister is supervising a military plan to regain control of the city of Zinjibar and (the neighboring town of) Jaar from al-Qaida gunmen," the official said.

Two soldiers, including a colonel, were killed in the fighting, while 12 others were wounded, he said.

Six fighters of the al-Qaida-linked Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law), were also killed in the attack, said a tribal source in Jaar, to where the gunmen evacuate their casualties.

The militants took control of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, last May. They also control Jaar and other parts of the province.

Military units also attacked Jaar from the west, the military official said, adding that troops reached the area of Kadama, on the outskirts of the town.

In the morning, air strikes hit Jaar, killing three al-Qaida gunmen and a civilian, and wounding three civilians, a tribal source said.

The air raids were to pave the way for advancing troops, said another military official.

Yemen's new president, Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, vowed last week to intensify the war against al-Qaida, which has made much of the lawless southern and eastern part of the country a safe haven.

"The war against terrorists has not started yet, and will not be over before we purge every province and village so that the displaced can return home peacefully," he warned.