Clashes kill 33 in Yemen

Thirty-three people, including six soldiers, were killed in clashes between al-Qaeda and the army in southern Yemen yesterday as troops advanced towards the Abyan provincial capital Zinjibar, military and local sources said.
Soldiers from the 25th Mechanised Brigade "managed early on Saturday to deal heavy blows to terrorists in Maraqid and Mashqasa ... killing 20 terrorist elements," Brigadier General Mohammed al-Sawmali told defence ministry news website 26sep.net.
"Two soldiers were killed and four others were wounded," 26sep.net quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, at Jaar, a major al-Qaeda stronghold in Abyan, four soldiers were killed in battles on the town's outskirts, a military official told AFP.