7 Yemeni Soldiers Killed by Suspected Qaida Fighters

Seven Yemeni soldiers were killed and six others wounded on Saturday in clashes with suspected al-Qaida forces in the southern province of Abyan, a military officer said.

The fighting took place near Dofes, a village south of the provincial capital of Zinjibar that has been occupied by extremist elements since the end of May, the source said.

"Al-Qaida fighters hidden in a wooded mountainous area opened fire on army units heading from Dofes to Zinjibar to try to rejoin the 25th Mechanized Brigade," which is encircled by the Islamists, the source said.

The casualties were taken during "several hours of fighting that ensued," the officer added.

On Thursday, an air strike killed eight suspected al-Qaida members in the same restive province, a local official said, adding the hit could have been carried out by a U.S. drone.

The official said the strike targeted a position held by al-Qaida suspects in Wadi Hassan valley, south of Zinjibar held by militants linked to the Islamist network.

An air strike on Wednesday in Abyan killed six suspected al-Qaida fighters, a tribal source said, again without being able to confirm it was carried out by Yemeni or U.S. forces.

Local residents claim U.S. drones regularly fly over the region.

Yemeni authorities deny any direct U.S. participation in their fight against al-Qaida, but on June 14, Leon Panetta, the CIA director, said his country was carrying out anti-terrorism operations in Yemen.