Four al-Qaida militants killed in south Yemen battle

Four al-Qaida militants killed in south Yemen battle

At least four al-Qaida militants, including an Iraqi national and a British, were killed by Yemeni government troops on Friday during gunbattle near Zinjibar, the capital city of the flashpoint southern province of Abyan, a provincial security official said.

"Four al-Qaida fighters, two Yemenis, an Iraqi national and a Briton, were killed by the army and security forces during five- hour battle that ended with withdrawal of the terrorist militants from large parts of Zinjibar," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"Other dozens of militants were wounded as large part of the group's fighters withdrew to hideouts in the nearby city of Jaar in Abyan," he added.

The government has intensified crackdown on the terrorist groups since May after al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) captured Zinjibar and at least three other towns in Abyan and the neighboring restive province of Shabwa.

Zinjibar was reseized by the government troops in September, according to the defense ministry, but sporadic clashes repeatedly took place in Zinjibar as the terrorist group still occupied part of the city.

Editor: yan

English.news.cn   2011-11-05 06:10:34 FeedbackPrintRSS
SANAA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua)