Three al-Qaida militants, one soldier killed in fighting in south Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Fierce fighting erupted on Tuesday between the army troops and al-Qaida militants, killing at least one soldier and three al-Qaida militants in the southern province of Abyan, a local army officer told Xinhua.

Armed clashes took place in the Dovas area with heavy machine guns and artilleries, leaving one soldier and three al-Qaida militants killed in addition to injuring dozens of others from both sides, the officer told Xinhua, who asked to remain anonymous.

The officer added that a number of vehicles loaded with fuel to the army troops were seized by al-Qaida militants.

Meanwhile, a tribal chief told Xinhua that intensive discussions about forming a tribal army fighters to assist the government troops in the struggle against al-Qaida militants are underway.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has intensified activities in southern provinces of the impoverished Arab country as its cash- stripped government was in the grip of five-month-old protests, demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.