11 al-Qaida militants killed in ambush by tribal fighters in south Yemen

[ 18 Aug 2011 00:02 ]

At least 11 al-Qaida militants were killed and dozens of others injured on Thursday in an ambush set up by tribal fighters in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan, a local tribal chief said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Tribal fighters ambushed a convoy of the al-Qaida militants coming from the coastal city of Shakra which they seized Wednesday afternoon, killing at least 11 militants and injuring dozens of others, the tribal chief told Xinhua, who asked to remain anonymous.

Al-Qaida militants managed on Wednesday to gain control of Shakra, some 35 km east of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, expelling the armed tribesmen who seized the city a month ago from the government troops.

The al-Qaida militants struck the fortifications of the tribal fighters from different parts of Shakra city on Wednesday using armored vehicles and heavy machine guns, according to local residents.

A number of Abyan’s powerful tribes were engaged in the fighting against the al-Qaida militants.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula seized control of a number of southern cities including Zinjibar and Jaar late in May, and the Yemeni government forces have intensified the crackdown to push them out.