Clashes between Yemeni army and Qaeda gunmen in the country’s south have killed three soldiers and seven militants.

Clashes between Yemeni army and Qaeda gunmen in the country’s south have killed three soldiers and seven militants.

"Five Al-Qaeda fighters and three soldiers were killed in fighting that broke out when Al-Qaeda gunmen attacked the 25th Mechanised Brigade" in the city of Zinjibar late on Saturday, a military official told AFP news agency.

Further south in the village of Dofas, two other militants were killed in clashes on Saturday night with soldiers based in the village, the official said, adding that two soldiers were wounded.

Security in Yemen’s south has been deteriorating since the travel of embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh to Saudi Arabia.
Saleh has been recovering in Riyadh since early June from wounds he sustained in a bomb blast at his presidential compound in Sanaa following months of pro-democracy protests calling for his ouster.

Saleh, who has been in power since 1978, hinted last week that he might agree to step down, although members of his family, who hold top army and security posts, appear to be running the country.