Al-Qaida militants attack army base in S Yemen, 15 killed

ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of al-Qaida militants Wednesday attacked an army forces base in the turbulent southern province of Abyan, leaving at least 15 people from both sides killed and 21 others injured, an army officer said.

The al-Qaida militants launched an attack with automatic rifles and heavy-machine guns on two military barracks of the 201st Armored Army brigade positioned on the eastern outskirts of Zinjibar, capital of Abyan, leaving at least five troops killed and 21 others injured, the local army officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The troops of the army barracks confronted the al-Qaida attack with a strong resistance, killing at least 10 terrorists and forcing the rest to flee, the officer said.

"The al-Qaida members carried out a botched retaliatory attack on our army base after they faced artillery shelling by our troops on Tuesday night," a soldier who was involved in the fighting told Xinhua.

"The attack was definitely foiled and we are on alert with a high vigilance," the soldier said.

Militants of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are taking advantage of the 10 months of protests against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule to bolster their presence in the country's southern regions, including cities across the Abyan and Shabwa provinces they seized late in May.