Militants Kill Yemeni Soldiers

Al-Qaida fighters ambushed and killed at least 17 Yemeni soldiers in 2 separate attacks launched on Friday.

Both attacks took place near the town of Lawder in Abyan province, some 155 miles (250 kilometers) southeast of the capital of Sanaa. In the deadliest strike, gunmen killed 13 soldiers escorting a convoy of water tankers, said the province's deputy governor, Salih al-Shamsi. He said the assailants fled and army units were pursuing them.

In the second attack, gunmen ambushed a convoy carrying the army's brigade commander in Lawder, killing four soldiers and wounding two more, a security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the media. The commander was unhurt in the attack.

By: Shelldrake