Yemeni forces killed at least 35 al-Qaeda militants Thursday in the southern part of the country, the Defense Ministry said, DPa reported.
The ministry said the Yemeni military took control of Wadi Banaa Arab, near the town of Jaar, after it launched a wide-scale on an al-Qaeda stronghold in the area.
The attack came after al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Monday at a military parade rehearsal in the capital, Sana'a, and killed 96 Yemeni soldiers.
According to Yemeni state media, funerals were held Thursday for 67 of the slain soldiers.
Militants affiliated with al-Qaeda have strengthened their foothold in Yemen, taking advantage of a year of political turmoil and a weak central government in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.
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