Three Yemeni soldiers kidnapped by al-Qaida militants

ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- A total of three Yemeni soldiers were kidnapped Monday by al-Qaida militants in the southern restive province of Abyan, an army officer said.

According to the local army officer, three government soldiers were kidnapped by terrorists in the al-Qaida-seized coastal city of Shakra, 35 km east of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan.

"Three soldiers on-board a military vehicle heading to Aden province was intercepted in a checkpoint of the al-Qaida militants in Shakra city," he said, adding that "the fate of the soldiers is still unclear."

The officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the kidnapped soldiers were taken to unknown destination.

Abyan, some 480 km south of the capital Sanaa, has been the scene of daily fierce fighting after hundreds of militants of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) captured Zinjibar and at least three other towns in May.

Yemeni military forces took back control of Zinjibar last month, but heavy clashes are still rocking the region.

Meanwhile, the country has been gripped by nine-month political crisis since protests erupted in late January demanding an immediate end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule.