6 civilians killed in air strikes by army forces in south Yemen: witnesses

ADEN, Yemen, June 13 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed and dozens others injured on Monday, when the Yemeni air forces shelled an inhabited area in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, where al-Qaida militants has stationed, local residents and witnesses told Xinhua.

Rockets fired by the air forces hit residential buildings near the hideouts of al-Qaida militants in Jaar city, killing six civilians and injuring dozens of others, Adnan al-Khadar, a local resident told Xinhua.

Overflights of the army warplanes in Jaar city since Monday morning attempted to shell al-Qaida hideouts, but the later fled to the heavily populated areas for shelter, a local military official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, adding the air forces were compelled to shell some parts of the populated area where al-Qaida militants hide then.

Death toll will rise among residents in that overcrowded city due to the army air-strikes, he said.

Thousands of people have already fled restive Abyan.

Elsewhere, in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, a high- ranking officer of the army forces was killed on Monday when bombs exploded inside his car, a local security official told Xinhua.