Fierce fighting erupted between the army forces and al-Qaida militants in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Saturday, leaving five soldiers and an al- Qaida militant killed, a local military official told Xinhua.
Five soldiers of the army forces were killed in clashes between al-Qaida militants and a military convoy of reinforcements coming from the neighboring province of al-Baida to Lauder in Abyan province, the official said, who asked to remain anonymous.
Al-Qaida militants intercepted the military convoy in the outskirts of Lauder city and carried out armed attack using rocket- propelled grenades, the official said.
The two sides exchanged fire after the attack and destroyed a number of military armored vehicles, he said, adding that one of al-Qaida militants was killed in the clashes with the army forces, according to the official.
The fighting is still raging in Lauder city without information about more casualties till now, according to the local residents.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) escalated its attacks and operations targeting a number of military cross-points and sites in south Yemen which resulted in the killing and injuring of dozens of soldiers.