ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Fierce clashes broke out between Yemeni government forces and al-Qaida militants Wednesday in the volatile southern province of Abyan, killing at least eight soldiers and injuring 20 others, a senior army officer said.
Units of the 119 Armored Army Brigade clashed with dozens of al- Qaida militants on the southwestern outskirts of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan province, the officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
A local medic at the Bashuib military hospital in Aden province, where the casualties had been taken to, confirmed to Xinhua the toll.
A source close to the al-Qaida militants said that three al- Qaida members were killed in the latest confrontations.
Earlier in the day, military planes of the Yemeni air force mistakenly killed three civilians in a strike against targets in the al-Qaida-seized city of Jaar.
Militants of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have taken advantage of the country's political turmoil to seize several towns in the nearly lawless southern and eastern provinces.
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