Yemen army storms Al Qaida-held city in the south

Sana'a: Yemen army managed to regain on Friday a city from Al Qaida militants in the restive southern province of Abyan, local sources told Gulf News.

Soldiers from the army's 39 Armed Brigade stormed on Friday afternoon the city of Zinjebar and drove out  militants. The city had been under the militants' control for almost a year.

"The army soldiers entered the city at 4pm and they are now combing the city searching for militants. The militants fled the city and took shelter in another al Qaida-controlled place called Amoudia," an army soldier told Gulf News by telephone.

Al Qaida-linked Ansar Al Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) exploited months of turmoil in the country and seized control in May, last year, a swathe of areas in the south. 

On Friday, ministry of defence said army soldiers killed on Thursday night 16 militants in the town of lower Abyan province.