Al-Qaeda attack kills 21 soldiers in Yemen’s Abyan

By Shukri Hussein

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - At least 21 soldiers were killed in an attack by al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry.

A ministry statement said the attack targeted a security checkpoint manned by the government-aligned Security Belt Forces (SBF) in Ahwar district in Abyan province.

Seven other soldiers were also injured and eight militants killed in the attack.

SBF earlier said that the commander of the 1st Battalion, Yasser Shaye’, was among the victims.

Military headquarters in Abyan come under frequent attacks, usually attributed to Al-Qaeda, which is active in the mountainous areas on the outskirts of Ahwar and Al-Mahfad districts, east of the provincial capital Zinjibar.

The Yemeni army and SBF of the allied Southern Transitional Council share control of Abyan province.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara