Yemeni army pushes militants back

YEMEN: The Yemeni army battled al-Qaeda-linked militants deep inside the southern port of Zinjibar yesterday, recapturing key positions inside the rebel-held city and killing at least 62 Islamist fighters.

An official said three government soldiers died and four were wounded in an offensive to uproot Islamist militants from the south. Many of the dead militants were believed to be Somalis. Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia has exploited protests against president Ali Abdullah Saleh and captured swathes of Abyan province.