Yemen: Clashes with rebels, al-Qaeda kill 16 Yemeni soldiers
Sixteen Yemeni pro-government fighters were killed on Tuesday in separate clashes with Huthi rebels and Al-Qaeda fighters in the south of the war-torn country, military sources and officials said.
Forces supporting Yemen’s President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, are fighting both the Houthi rebels who control parts of the country including the capital Sanaa and jihadists in the south.
Al-Qaeda fighters on Tuesday ambushed an army unit on its way to conduct an operation against a jihadist position east of the coastal town of Shaqra in the southern province of Abyan, security sources said.
Local officials said 11 soldiers and 15 Al-Qaeda fighters were killed in the attack.
Al-Qaeda fighters seized two military vehicles and weapons, security sources said.