The casualties were taken during “several hours of fighting that ensued,” the officer added. - File Photo

 

Seven Yemeni soldiers were killed and six others wounded on Saturday in clashes with suspected al Qaeda forces in the southern province of Abyan, a military officer said.

The fighting took place near Dofes, a village south of the provincial capital of Zinjibar that has been occupied by extremist elements since the end of May, the source said.

“al Qaeda fighters hidden in a wooded mountainous area opened fire on army units heading from Dofes to Zinjibar to try to rejoin the 25th Mechanised Brigade,” which is encircled by the Islamists, the source said.

“Seven of our soldiers were killed and six others wounded in clashes which continued for several hours,” he added.

At least one attacker was killed, according to a source at the Al-Razi hospital in Jaar, another Abyan village controlled by al Qaeda.

“We received the body of an al Qaeda fighter killed in the fighting near Dofes,” the hospital source told AFP, identifying the victim as Omar al-Marqab from the northern al Jawf province.

On Tuesday, seven soldiers, including an officer, were killed and 30 others wounded in a suspected al Qaeda attack on the Dofes-based Brigade 201 camp, according to a report obtained by AFP from an army officer.

Reprisal raids that followed killed dozens of suspected militants from the Islamist network, according to local and medical sources. An official in the region reported 35 al Qaeda loyalists killed.

Air strikes on Wednesday and Thursday targeted two al Qaeda positions south of Zinjibar, held by militants linked to al Qaeda, killing 14 suspected members of the network, according to tribal and local sources.

Earlier, they had said the strikes could have been carried out by US drones. Local resident’s claim US drones regularly fly over the region.

Yemeni authorities deny any direct US participation in their fight against al Qaeda, but on June 14, Leon Panetta, the CIA director, said his country was carrying out anti-terrorism operations in Yemen.

Since late May, fighters linked to al Qaeda took control of several Abyan towns, taking advantage of the weakening of central authority that followed a wave of popular protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He has been recovering in Saudi Arabia for more than two months from bomb blast wounds.

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...