Sana'a: Yemeni security forces backed by armed civilians in Lowder town, in the southern province of Abyan and recaptured on Tuesday a strategic mountain from Al Qaida amidst fierce attrition battle between the two groups.
Al Qaida made a lot of gains last year during the a period of instability in the country as the people rose up against their president Ali Abdullah Saleh and eventually ousted him. The Yemeni army has launched massive military offensives in three Al Qaida strongholds: Zinjerbar, Lowder and Ja'ar in the Abyan province.
"We managed to regain the Yasouf mountain that Al Qaida use to launch attacks from," Ali Qassem, a civilian fighter told Gulf News.
The Yemeni army confirmed 22 Al Qaida militants were killed over the past few days in the towns of Zinjerbar and Ja'ar. Five cilivians were reportedly killed when Yemeni security forces carried out an air strike in Ja'ar. Hundreds of army soldiers have been killed since May last year when Al Qaida militants launched deadly attacks on their positions in the south.
