Abyan al-Qaeda attacks security raising death toll to 23 troops

Suspected al Qaeda members attacked a group of government troops killing 8 soldiers and injuring another Saturday evening, a security official told Yemen Observer.
 
The official said that an al Qaeda group attacked the soldiers at sunset in Ja’ar district, 20 kilometers from Zinjibar, Abyan province, using RPGs (rocket-propelled grenade) and machine guns.
 
“The armed men attacked a security checkpoint in Khanfar Ja’ar area, killing 8 soldiers and a civilian from the tax authority,” the security official added.
 
Local residents told the Observer that the incident occurred beside the power plant in Ja’ar district while the victims were having dinner.
 
An AFP tally based on official and medical sources put the total death toll Tuesday at 33 people, including 19 militants, 11 soldiers, and three civilians. New clashes erupted Tuesday along with a fresh attack Saturday increasing the number of the troops killed to 23.
 
The  Interior ministry issued earlier on Saturday directives to keep various security units on high alert in order to prepare for any circumstances that may arise and to respond firmly and strongly to acts of terror, stressing the need to continue in the pursuit of wanted men from “terrorist elements and elements outside the law.”

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