Yemen army forces shell al-Qaida strongholds, 14 killed

ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's army forces launched a shelling campaign early Tuesday targeting al-Qaida's strongholds in the turbulent southern province of Abyan, leaving at least 14 militants killed and dozens of others injured, an army officer said.

The army bombed a number of strongholds of the terrorist group around the eastern entrances of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, the officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

At least 14 militants, including a local leading member, were killed, and a number of armored vehicles and heavy machine-guns of the terrorist group were destroyed, the officer said.

In an effort to rid al-Qaida members of eastern Zinjibar, two army brigades escalated their operations against the militants in the past few days, the army officer said.

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

The AQAP have been taking advantage of Yemen's unrest to bolster its presence in the country's southern and eastern regions.