6 soldiers injured in gunfight with al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen's south

Six Yemeni soldiers were wounded in a gunfight with suspected al-Qaida gunmen on Sunday morning in the southern province of Lahj, a military official told Xinhua. Troops of the Yemeni army based in Lahj's suburbs fought with about 10 al-Qaida suspects and at least six soldiers were injured, the local official said on condition of anonymity. The attackers were trying to sneak into key military checkpoint at Lahj's main entrance but were repulsed, the military source said. The al-Qaida terrorist group, which has been waging insurgency for more than two years, has not made any comments yet. The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions. The Yemeni government, along with the United states and oil- rich Saudi Arabia, has beefed up anti-terrorist operation since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.