At least 23 killed as Yemen troops battle al-Qaeda in Hodeidah

Twenty Yemeni soldiers and three suspected al-Qaeda militants died in clashes on Saturday in the town of Jabal Ras in Yemen’s western province of Hodeidah. The clashes broke out when suspected al-Qaeda militants staged an attack. Fighting has flared in different parts of Yemen since the Houthis, a group of Shi’ite Muslim rebels, rose to dominance in recent months. Houthi forces took over the capital, Sanaa, in September and fanned out into central and western Yemen. That antagonised Sunni tribesmen and al Qaeda militants, who regard the Houthis as heretics. A senior security official in Hodeidah said that the central authorities had not responded to requests to beef up security in the area. Residents in the area said that the clashes were still going on.

Twenty soldiers were killed when the al-Qaeda elements attacked an administrative building from all directions and looted four police cars.

A senior security official in Hodeidah

Middle East al qaeda yemen