Yemeni forces kill 43 Al-Qaeda suspects

Yemeni officials say the latest government airstrikes in the country's south have killed 43 al-Qaeda militants. Military officials say government forces on Tuesday took control over a mountainous area of al-Rahha in the southern province of Lahj, after pounding al-Qaeda hideouts there for the past three days. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. "Thirty-eight members of al-Qaeda were killed in shelling and air strikes that targetted their positions in Huroor throughout the past 48 hours," said an official who spoke from the nearby al-Qaeda stronghold of Jaar. The offensive followed a surprise attack by militants on a Yemeni army base in the area earlier in the weekend. Al-Qaeda-linked militants have taken advantage of a year of internal political turmoil to expand their gains in the restive south.