3 Yemen soldiers killed in clashes with Al-Qaeda

At least three soldiers were killed in clashes with Al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen in an operation launched by the internationally recognised government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, security sources said.

They said at least 10 other soldiers were wounded when troops were ambushed east of the coastal city of Shuqra on Tuesday. Intense clashes were continuing yesterday.

The sources said that Hadi’s forces, backed by aircraft of a Saudi-led coalition, were targeting Shuqra when they were surprised by the militants. One military vehicle overturned, another was destroyed and two were captured, they said.

The incident highlighted the obstacles facing Hadi’s government as it struggles to wipe out Al-Qaeda while simultaneously trying to defeat Houthi fighters in a war that has lasted nearly two years and killed more than 10,000 people.

In August, the Yemeni army drove Al Qaeda out of two strongholds in the same region in a campaign in which at least 40 militants were killed.