12 al-Qaida militants killed in artillery by Yemeni army

Yemeni army forces killed 12 al-Qaida militants on Monday, including a Mauritanian, an Algerian, a Saudi and two Somali nationals, in gun battles and artillery shelling against their strongholds in the turbulent southern province of Abyan, an army officer said. The army forces pounded strongholds of the al-Qaida militants with artillery shells and Katyusha rockets following clashes with members of the terrorist group, who tried to attack some military posts stationed around Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, leaving at least 12 militants killed and dozens of others injured, the army officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. "The artillery shells rain the al-Qaida positions in Bagdar and Badhrous neighborhoods and most of the dead bodies are foreign nationals. The bombing started in the late hours of Sunday night and the army soldiers are still striking the al-Qaida fortifications today," the officer said. Monday's heavy artillery shelling comes as the government forces supported by armed tribesmen are close to carry out a full- scale offensive against the al-Qaida militants in a bid to regain control over the whole region, according to military and tribal sources. Abyan, some 480 km south of the capital Sanaa, has been the scene of daily fierce fighting after militants from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) captured Zinjibar and at least three other towns late in May. Many Yemenis are concerned that al-Qaida militants may exploit the country's political turmoil to launch more attacks to bolster their foothold in the lawless southern and eastern regions.