Al-Qaeda assault on Yemeni soldiers kills 139

Yemen has witnessed a spate of attacks against the security forces since President Hadi took over A surprise attack by Al-Qaeda extremists on troops in Yemen's restive south sparked fierce clashes in which at least 107 soldiers and 32 militants were killed, medics and military officials said on Monday.

"The toll from the battles between the army and Qaeda militants ... has risen to at least 78" soldiers, a military official said on condition of anonymity.
He added that "dozens more were wounded ... in the surprise attack" Sunday on army posts on the outskirts of Zinjibar, Abyan's provincial capital.
"It was a massacre," he said.
A medic at a military hospital in the neighbouring port city of Aden confirmed the death toll and said staff were overwhelmed by the number of casualties.
They said the poor services in local hospitals accounted for the death of many soldiers who suffered serious wounds but could have survived had they been given better medical care.
"We were forced to use administrative offices and waiting rooms to treat the wounded," the medic told AFP, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The hospital was packed full with dead and injured" soldiers, he added.
 The high death toll among the troops is believed to be the highest on record in battles fought by the army against Al-Qaeda militants, who have been emboldened by the political turmoil roiling the impoverished Arab nation for more than a year.
The campaign against Al-Qaeda is a key demand of Yemen’s new leader by Washington, which backed his succession and has waged its own campaign of assassinations by drone strikes against alleged members of the group.
Military officials had reported fierce clashes Sunday when militants linked to Al-Qaeda tried to overrun an army post in Kud, just south of Zinjibar. The violence then spread to other military positions on the outskirts of the city.
Local witnesses reported that they saw about 10 tanks, Katyusha launchers and various military weapons in the the possession of the militants on their way to the town of Jaar (South Yemen) which is considered an Al-Qaeda base.
The attack which was carried out by a militant group called Ansar Al-Sharia is part of a series of attacks dubbed "The Flowing River". It was reported that the militants succeeded in stealing a large amounts of the army's heavy artillery in addition to taking more than 60 soldiers prisoner, including seven army officers and 10 wounded soldiers.
The militants, known as the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law), took control of Zinjibar and several other towns in Yemen's mostly lawless south last May as former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was facing mass protests demanding his ouster.
The military official, who was on the ground during the attack, said that troops from the Kud base were "surprised" to see the militants carrying army issue weapons and using military vehicles.
The attacks underscore the challenges facing President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi as he tries to stabilise Yemen after a year of protests against his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and military infighting that took Yemen to the brink of civil war.
Soldiers who survived the attack accused some army leaders who had served under Saleh of "collaborating" with Al-Qaeda in the attack.
The assault was the latest in a spate of attacks against security forces since Hadi took over from Saleh and was sworn in on February 25 under a Gulf-brokered transition accord.
"We intend to confront terrorism with full force and whatever the matter we will pursue it to the very last hiding place,"Hadi said at a meeting with British minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt, according to the state news agency Saba.
The army said it had sent reinforcements to the area from Aden on Sunday and managed to beat the militants back.
"Reinforcements were sent to the area and it was recaptured. Elements of Al-Qaeda or Ansar al-Sharia took light weapons and three rocket launchers, but the rest of the weapons were recovered," said a spokesman for the military council that oversees the running of the army.
Minister Burt also said that his country will continue the implementation of a political reconciliation in Yemen and support the achievement of the required success.
On Friday, Hadi, who must restructure the army during his two-year interim period in power, named General Salem Ali Qatan to head the 31st Armoured Brigade in southern Yemen.
The post had been held for decades by General Mahdi Maqola, known for his close ties to Saleh and accused of corruption.
Saleh has repeatedly declared himself a US ally in its "war on terror" but critics charge he may have deliberately surrendered cities such as Zinjibar to Qaeda militants to demonstrate to the west that only he can fight the extremists and should therefore remain in power.
Months of anti-Saleh protests weakened central government control over whole swathes of Yemen to the benefit of militants linked to Al-Qaeda, principally a group called Ansar Al-Sharia, which has expanded its foothold in the south.
Zinjibar has been the site of regular clashes between the army and Islamist fighters who took the city for several months last year. The government said in September it had “liberated” Zinjibar from militant hands, but fighting has continued.
“The heroes of the armed forces have dealt a painful blow to the Al-Qaeda elements in ... Abyan,” the defence ministry said in a text message, referring to the province where Zinjibar is located.
Residents of Jaar, which lies about 15km (10 miles) north of Zinjibar and is controlled by Islamist fighters, said they used megaphones to urge people to join the battle.
Last week Ansar Al-Sharia said it would unleash a torrent of attacks unless the army pulled its forces away from Zinjibar within 10 days.
A Yemeni government official said the attacks were part of a campaign “to create confusion for the new president.”