At least 139 Yemeni soldiers have been killed in clashes with suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen after the extremists attacked military positions in Yemen’s restive south, medics said on Monday.
Sunday’s assault was one of the single deadliest against Yemeni troops, and the latest in a spate of attacks against security forces since President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi pledged to destroy the militant group in last month’s inauguration speech.
A medical official at the military hospital in the southern port city of Aden, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “the death toll… has risen to at least 139” soldiers. He said “many soldiers died from wounds sustained in the assault” on army posts on the outskirts of Zinjibar, Abyan’s provincial capital where Al-Qaeda linked militants are in control.
A military official, who also declined to be identified, told AFP Al-Qaeda militants were responsible for the “surprise attack,” saying “it was a massacre.” Another medic said hospital staff were overwhelmed by the number of casualties. “We were forced to use administrative offices and waiting rooms to treat the wounded,” he told AFP, declining to be named.
