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| A handout photo made available yesterday by the Yemeni defence ministry shows soldiers posing for a photo after they advanced on the frontline against Al Qaeda militants in the southern province of Abyan on Sunday |
Yemeni
warplanes and troops bombarded the Islamist militant stronghold of Jaar
yesterday, officials and witnesses said, part of a US-backed offensive
in a country Washington sees as a frontline in its war against Al Qaeda.
At least 44 soldiers and militants were killed as the army launched its most serious assault on Jaar to date and also attacked positions near Shaqra, a coastal town on a major shipping route, and other areas, a Yemeni military official said.
Yemen is battling to retake towns and territory in the southern province of Abyan that were seized by militants linked to Al Qaeda last year during a popular uprising against president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
