Pre-dawn militant attack kills 32 soldiers in Yemen

Japan Herald Monday 7th May, 2012

• Militants also capture 28 troops

• Decamp with weapons and ammunition

• Attack comes after a senior Al Qaeda man is killed

ADEN, YEMEN - Militants from the global terror network Al Qaeda in a surprise attack killed at least 32 Yemeni soldiers hours after a US drone strike killed a top commander of the terror group who was wanted for his alleged role in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.

Officials said gunmen stormed a military position in southern Yemen, a hotbed of militants controlling broad swathes of territory in the region.

There has been a surge in violence in Yemen since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February. The government has responded with air strikes and the US has repeatedly used drones to kill militants.

The Monday attack came hours after a suspected US drone strike killed two men in a neighboring province, including Fahd al-Quso, described by the government as a senior member of Al Qaeda who figures in the FBI's most wanted list.

Media reports quoting an unnamed military official said gunmen attacked Yemeni troops outside the city of Zinjibar, capital of Abyan province, and also captured a number of soldiers before decamping with weapons and ammunition.

Forty soldiers were wounded in the attack. Militants had left 100 troops dead in a similar attack in March in Zinjibar.

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