At least 22 al Qaeda-linked militants and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes and air strikes overnight during a US-backed offensive against insurgents in the south of the country, officials said on Saturday. Fighting erupted late on Friday and carried on into Saturday on the outskirts of the southern city of Jaar, held by Islamist militants who have stepped up their campaign during months of political turmoil.
Government troops, backed by US drone strikes, have been trying to push the insurgents out of strongholds in the country's south, which lies near oil shipping routes through the Red Sea. Washington and Yemen's neighbour Saudi Arabia both fear the instability in Yemen could give al Qaeda's regional wing a stronger foothold in the region.
"There is heavy fighting, and the armed elements are doing everything possible to stop the advance of (government) troops," a government official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity. Government forces were about 1km (0.6 mile) from Jaar, he added.
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