ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the airstrikes on the al-Qaida hideouts in the restive southern province of Abyan on Monday reached 40, including 30 civilians and ten al-Qaida militants, local officials and witnesses said.
Several air strikes carried out by military aircrafts of the Yemeni air forces bombed mistakenly some residential buildings near the militant hideouts in the al-Qaida-seized city of Jaar, some 12 km north of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan province, leaving more than 30 civilians and ten militants killed, the security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Some residential buildings and local markets were also mistakenly pounded along with various fortifications and targets of the al-Qaida militants in different regions of Jaar city, he added.
Dozens of civilians were either killed or injured in the repeated air strikes on the nearby police stations and hospitals of Jaar city, where the al-Qaida militants gathered, according to local residents.
Meanwhile, a close source to the al-Qaida militants said that a farm belonging to the leading member of the terrorist group Khaled Abdel Nabi in Jaar was completely destroyed in the bombing.
Some schools and mosques that were used for meetings and gatherings by the militants were also hit by airstrikes, leaving dozens of militants killed or injured, the source said, adding that military aircrafts were still hovering over the region.
Earlier the day, local army officer and witnesses told Xinhua that at least four civilians and six al-Qaida members were killed by air raids of the Yemeni air forces in Jaar city.
Recently, a number of army brigades made progress towards the al-Qaida-seized city of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan after fierce battles with the terrorist group in various areas of the city, according to senior army officials.
The army forces have engaged in fierce battles for more than three months with al-Qaida militants after the latter took control of the Zinjibar city along with other surrounding cities late in May.
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