Three al-Qaeda militants slain in Yemen
At least three people have been killed after Yemeni forces and al-Qaeda militants exchanged heavy gunfire in the southern province of Abyan.
Yemeni army personnel supported by military planes targeted al-Qaeda positions in the southern Abyan province, pressuring the militants to retreat, a local security official told DPA on condition of anonymity.
Three al-Qaeda militants died and an unknown number of others sustained injuries in the Yemeni military raids.
Zinjibar, capital of Abyan province and located 278 kilometers (173 miles) south of the capital Sana’a, has been under al-Qaeda’s sway since March, when militants took over all government facilities in the city, except for the headquarters of the 25th Mechanized Brigade.
Yemeni opposition has accused embattled Ali Abdullah Saleh of having allowed Zinjibar to fall into the hands of militants, in a move to distract public opinion from mass protests calling for an end to his 33-year rule.
The Common Forum parliamentary opposition coalition in a July statement blamed Saleh of having "delivered Zinjibar to armed groups that he has formed and armed, to continue to utilize the specter of al-Qaeda to frighten regional and international parties."
According to local reports, hundreds of protesters have been killed and many others injured in Yemen since the anti-government demonstrations began in late January.
Source: presstv.ir
