Yemeni troops defending a key southern city battled suspected al-Qaida militants for a second day Thursday, killing at least s...
Yemeni troops defending a key southern city battled suspected al-Qaida militants for a second day Thursday, killing at least seven of them and raising the militant death toll from the clashes to 25
a Yemeni official on Wednesday announced that scores of Al Qaeda gunmen clashed with army units of the 135th Armoured Brigade near Seiyun town of Hadramout province, leaving at least 20 terrorists dead on the spot.
It is also known that In the spring, the military waged a wide offensive against al-Qaida strongholds in the south. Those who fled under intensive bombardment sought refuge in mountain areas bordering Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in Hadramawt.
The Yemeni government has waged a major offensive on Al Qaeda strongholds in the country's southern territories, killing scores of militants. The Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) based in Yemen has vowed to hit back. The AQAP, also known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009 and is considered one of the greatest threats to the Yemeni government and neighbouring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
The United States has also waged a longstanding drone campaign against al-Qaida suspects in Yemen, killing a number of high-ranking operatives but also scores of civilians, drawing criticism from the Yemeni government and human rights groups.
