Three Yemeni soldiers killed in attack by al-Qaida militants

ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least three Yemeni soldiers were killed and 12 others injured Tuesday when al-Qaida militants attacked a military patrol of the government forces in the turbulent southern province of Abyan, an army officer said.

The al-Qaida militants carried out an attack with automatic rifles and shoulder-held rocket launchers targeting a military patrol in the eastern outskirts of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan province, killing at least three army soldiers and injuring 12 others, the local army officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"The vehicle of our patrol, which was heading toward an army barrack in Zinjibar, overturned immediately in a bumpy road after the al-Qaida attack," the officer said.

The dead and wounded soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital in the neighboring port city of Aden, according to a local medic.

Militants of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) stepped up attacks on government troops in Yemen's lawless southern and eastern regions, exploiting a turmoil in a country convulsed by ten months of protests.