4 gov't troops killed in ambush by al-Qaida militants in S Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of four Yemeni government troops were killed Tuesday in an ambush by al-Qaida militants targeting a military patrol in the restive southern province of Abyan, a senior army officer said.

Dozens of the al-Qaida militants ambushed a military patrol in the eastern parts of Zinjibar city, the provincial capital of Abyan province, launching an armed attack with automatic weapons, the army officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The military patrol was sweeping the areas where terrorists hide out, he said, adding that four government troops killed in the ambush.

Three Armored Army brigades supported by special forces of the counter-terrorism units launched an offensive earlier this month, shaking the al-Qaida members hold and reclaimed several cities including the Zinjibar city.

However, fighting still going on in Zinjibar's eastern parts, which are still held by al-Qaida militants, according to some military sources.

Abyan, some 480 km south of the capital Sanaa, is a key stronghold of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The Yemeni army forces have been fighting AQAP militants for more than three months who apparently took advantage of the country's political crisis in expanding its military operations and seizing control over the lawless southern and eastern territories.