At least 29 killed in Yemen clashes: officials

Aden: At least 29 people were killed in heavy fighting on Saturday between the army and suspected Al Qaida militants in Yemen's southern province of Lahij, officials said.

"Seventeen soldiers were killed in the fighting," which erupted when fighters attacked army positions in Mallah, a town in Lahij, an army officer on the ground told AFP.

An official in the Al Qaida stronghold of Jaar, southeast of Lahij, said that 12 militants were also killed.

Earlier, a military official said the clashes had left 15 people dead, including seven soldiers and eight militants.