Twenty-eight suspected members of al-Qaeda were killed Friday in the
city of Lord, in Yemen's Abyan province, in military operations, state
media reported.
Counterterrorism forces were chasing "the rest of the retreating terrorists" into the mountains, the SABA news agency said.
The government has said
that such military operations will continue in what is its most intense
phase of attacks since the February inauguration of Yemen's new
president, Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.
The military committee,
the country's highest security authority, has said the government will
not allow al Qaeda to expand and will use an iron fist against the
militants in the country's southern provinces.
This month, Yemen poured
thousands of troops into the country's south to battle al Qaeda fighters
and tighten security, officials said. Yemeni warplanes bombarded al
Qaeda hideouts all week in a series of U.S.-supported airstrikes in
Abyan and Lahj provinces.
The offensive came after
militants killed dozens of troops and seized large quantities of weapons
when it raided a military zone. Numerous other Yemeni soldiers were
taken hostage, officials said.
Yemen's al Qaeda movement
has expanded its control over parts of the country in the past year,
leading politicians to consider the option of dialogue with the militant
network.
Source: CNN News