ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least six al-Qaida militants were killed and three others were injured when armed clashes broke out between the terrorist group and tribal fighters on Saturday in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, local tribal chiefs said.
Th tribal chief told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the clashes took place in the Luader district when dozens of al-Qaida militants were heading to the coastal city of Shakra, leaving six militants killed and three others injured.
Three armored vehicles and heavy machine guns belonging to al- Qaida militants were seized in the clashes, he added.
The coastal city of Shakra, some 35 km east of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan province, was seized by al-Qaida militants on Wednesday afternoon.
Abyan, some 480 km south of the capital Sanaa, is a key stronghold of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
The AQAP recently took advantage of the fragile situation in Yemen amid continuous anti-government protests and insecurity to expand its military operations against the army forces in Yemen's southern and eastern main provinces.
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