Monday, August 18, 2014
Six suspected Al-Qaeda militants and three Yemeni troops died in clashes on Sunday in the southeastern province of Hadramawt, scene of frequent attacks on the army, a local official said.
"At dawn, armed forces bombarded a house where Al-Qaeda fighters had barricaded themselves in, killing three of them and wounding others," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The body of a fourth militant was later found in the house in the Hadramawt town of Qatan, along with four people who were arrested, a military source said.
He said the people arrested were two men -- a Yemeni and a Somali -- and two women, a Pakistani and a Filipina.
Responding to the army's action, other militants attacked an army position in Qatan, sparking a shootout, the local official said.
"Three soldiers were killed and six wounded during four hours of fighting," the official said, adding: "Two of the attackers died and four were wounded."
Weapons of various calibre were used in the skirmish and several nearby homes were damaged, witnesses said.