Suspected Al Qaeda militants on Tuesday attacked a security post in Southern Yemen, sparking clashes that killed at least 21 Yemeni troops and wounded seven others, the Yemeni Interior Ministry said.
It is thought to be the latest attack in recent weeks by the local branch of the global terror group.
Eight militants were killed in the clashes, the ministry added, in a statement carried by Saba news agency.
The early morning attack in Ahwar, in the province of Abyan, targeted a post manned by troops from the Security Belt, a security force loyal to the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Earlier in the day, a security official said at least eight southern Yemeni pro-government fighters were killed in the attack.
“Dozens of [Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] militants headed from Wadi Maseb in eastern Abyan driving Landcruiser 4WD cars and clashed with soldiers at the outpost using light and medium weapons,” a security official in the Abyan Security Belt Forces of the STC told The National after the fighting was over.
The source added that one militant was captured but dozens fled the scene.
The STC wants a separate state of Southern Yemen or a greater role in the internationally recognised government. The country was divided into North and South Yemen until 1990.
The attack came only days after STC forces launched a large-scale military operation against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and militant groups in Abyan province.
On Monday, two soldiers from the pro-government Shabwa Defence Forces, a recently established group to secure the province, were killed and three others were injured. This happened when suspected Al Qaeda gunmen ambushed their vehicle in the oil-rich district’s north-west, a local security source told The National.
The attack took place less than a week after Cap Abu Baker Al Daywali, a commander in the Shabwa Defence Forces, was assassinated by gunmen alongside his bodyguard as they crossed Nisab district in Shabwa province.
Yemen has been gripped by conflict since Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital Sanaa in 2014. This triggered a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the beleaguered government the following year.
AQAP and militants loyal to ISIS have thrived in the chaos.
The fighting comes as the Houthis and forces supporting the ousted government observe a shaky ceasefire in the years-long civil war.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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