'Qaeda militants die' when car bomb goes off too soon

 (AFP) June 5, 2012

ADEN — Five Al-Qaeda militants died in southern Yemen on Tuesday when the car bomb they aimed to set off exploded prematurely, a local official said.

"The accidental explosion occurred in Shaqra (in Abyan province) and killed five extremist fighters," the official said.

Yemeni forces launched an all-out offensive on May 12 aimed at reclaiming the provincial capital Zinjibar and other towns and cities lost to Al-Qaeda over the past year.

Al-Qaeda sometimes uses car bombs against the army and its militia supporters.

On Monday, a suicide bomber blew up a car at a checkpoint in Abyan on Monday, killing four pro-army gunmen, a member of a pro-military auxiliary militia said.