SANA'A: At least 12 al-Qaeda militants were killed on Wednesday afternoon in an air strike in Yemen's southern province of Abyan. Sources said that an air strike conducted by the Yemeni forces took-out a car believed to be carrying al-Qaeda militants between Lawdar and Amaen cities, killing all passengers. Yemeni government soldiers backed by tribesmen battled al-Qaeda militants in a third day of clashes, which led to the death of a reported 31 people. The clashes took place at Jebel Yasuf district, some 10 km from the town of Lawdar, where dozens of people have been killed since Monday, raising the death toll to at least 158. Yemen's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the armed forces had destroyed a number of checkpoints set up by militants on road linking Lawdar to the neighboring province of Al-Bayda, re-opening the route. The ministry mentioned that Saudi, Pakistani and Somali nationals were among the militants killed in Lawdar. On Tuesday at least eight soldiers were killed and four others wounded during an attack at an army checkpoint by armed men believed to be al-Qaeda militants in Yemen's eastern province of Mareb. According to analysts, al-Qaeda in Yemen is considered a serious and growing threat for Yemeni government and for the United States.
