Gunmen still holed up in Yemen army base: Official
Iran Press TV
Tue Oct 1, 2013 6:15PM GMT
Al-Qaeda-linked militants are said to be still holding hostages at a Yemeni army headquarters in the southern port city of Mukalla, despite reports that the army has recaptured the building.
"Gunmen from Ansar al-Sharia group are still holed up on the building's third floor and are holding soldiers hostage," AFP quoted an unnamed military official as saying on Tuesday.
He did not say how many militants or hostages were in the building.
The gunmen, dressed in Special Forces uniforms and riding in four military vehicles, stormed the headquarters after a bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into the entrance, the official explained.
He said the militants then took much of the garrison hostage.
Late on Monday, a military official said Yemeni forces have recaptured the building. But it turned out that they have only taken the first two floors of the three-story building.
Five soldiers were killed in the attack, the second major assault targeting the Yemeni army in 10 days.
On September 20, militants killed at least 56 soldiers and police in coordinated dawn attacks in Shabwah Province.
Militants have been launching mainly hit-and-run attacks on the Yemeni security forces since June 2012, when the Yemeni army recaptured large swathes of the south, which militants had held for nearly a year.
MRS/PR
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