By IANS,
Aden (Yemen) : At least 12 Al Qaeda militants and three army soldiers were killed in fierce battles between security forces and extremists in Yemen Thursday, a military official said.
The clashes occurred in the country’s southern province of Abyan.
Armed clashes erupted between army forces and Al Qaeda militants around the city of Zinjibar when the former tried to regain control of the seized area by Al Qaeda since last month, Xinhua quoted the official, who requested anonymity, as saying.
Units of the army forces besieged the Zinjibar city from all sides and were expected to wage a decisive attack shortly to regain control of the coastal town, said the official.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) escalated attacks and operations targeting the military and sites in south Yemen, which resulted in the killing and injuring of dozens of soldiers.