Al-Qaeda
fighters have captured the capital of a province in southern Yemen,
killing about 20 soldiers, local officials and residents say, just hours
after suicide attacks on mosques in the capital Sanaa claimed 137 and
wounded 345 people.
Fighters
from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were forced to withdraw late on
Friday night from al-Houta after holding it for several hours, the
officials and residents said.
Two army brigades then entered the city, capital of Lahj province.
There were no reports of any casualties on the side of the fighters.
Houta
is only 30km from the Indian Ocean port of Aden, where President
Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has temporarily based the government since he
escaped from weeks of house arrest in Sanaa by Houthi rebels, who
control the capital.
Separately,
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has condemned Friday’s attack on
the Sanaa mosques, urging all sides to “immediately cease all hostile
actions and exercise maximum restraint”.
“All sides must abide by their stated commitments to resolve differences by peaceful means,” Ban said on Friday.
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