ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least seven soldiers of Yemen's government forces were killed in an explosion carried out by al-Qaida militants in the country's southern province of Abyan on Friday, a military official told Xinhua.
"Members of al-Qaida terror group targeted a gathering of Yemen's government forces with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in Mudiyah district," the local military official said on condition of anonymity.
The official confirmed that the IED explosion left at least seven soldiers killed and more than eight others critically wounded.
The source indicated that "the explosion occurred while the government soldiers were gathering to receive food supplies near their military site."
During the past months, military units of the Southern Transitional Council, which is a part of Yemen's government, announced they were launching "a qualitative anti-terror operation and succeeded in raiding a key hideout of al-Qaida in Abyan."
Scores of al-Qaida militants frequently use hit-and-run tactics against Yemeni government forces while hiding out in rocky terrains and mountainous areas of Abyan and other neighboring provinces.
The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula network has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. It has carried out many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country's southern provinces. ■
