4 Qaeda fighters, soldier killed in Yemen

Four Al-Qaeda fighters and a soldier were killed in overnight fighting outside Zinjibar, capital of the southern Yemeni province of Abyan, a military official said on Saturday. The insurgents had fired three rockets at the headquarters of the 25th Mechanised Brigade, killing the soldier and wounding six others. Separately, three Al-Qaeda militants were killed and five wounded on Friday when a bomb they were making accidentally exploded in Al-Mahfad, a town in northern Abyan, a local official said. Yemeni forces launched an all-out offensive on May 12 aimed at reclaiming Zinjibar and other localities in Abyan lost to Al-Qaeda during the past year. Since the offensive began, at least 376 people have been killed, according to an AFP tally compiled from official statements. They comprised 275 Al-Qaeda fighters, 65 military personnel, 18 local militiamen and 18 civilians.