Army forces shell al-Qaida strongholds in southern Yemen, 10 killed

ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least ten al-Qaida militants were killed and dozens of others injured Wednesday when forces of the Yemeni army carried out artillery shelling against strongholds of the terrorist group in the flashpoint southern province of Abyan, an army officer said.

The heavy artillery bombing targeted two government buildings occupied by al-Qaida militants in the eastern entrance of Zinjibar city, the provincial capital of Abyan province, killing at least ten terrorists and injuring dozens of others, the local army officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Three Pakistani and two African militants were among the killed, the officer said, adding that a number of armored vehicles belonging to the insurgents were destroyed in the bombing.

Dozens of militants from various nationalities arrived Tuesday in Jaar city, another al-Qaida hub in Abyan, in order to strengthen and reinforce their counterparts in the fighting against the army, according to local residents.

For more than six months, government troops supported by armed tribesmen have been fighting thousands of militants from the al- Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) who were apparently taking advantage of the country's 10-month political turmoil to bolster their military operations and control in the lawless southern and eastern regions.