Yemeni army: 12 killed in Qaeda attack

A suspected Al-Qaeda attack on an army post in Hadramawt province insoutheast Yemen on Friday killed eight soldiers and four militants, military andlocal sources said."The attackers approached the position on board several vehicles and opened fire onthe soldiers with different types of weapons, killing eight and wounding 11 more,"the military source told AFP.The officer in command of the position was among the dead.He said the militants targeted a post known as Hanine in the area of Al-Qatn town inthe centre of the vast semi-desert province. Military reinforcements sent to the area came under fire from the militants and anunknown number were wounded, a local administration official said.He said four militants were killed and several wounded, but the attackers took theirdead and wounded with them when they withdrew.Friday's was the second major attack by militants on Yemeni troops army in threedays.On Thursday, Al-Qaeda claimed a brazen assault on an army headquarters in ahighly secure area of Aden the previous day.Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is viewed by Washington as the deadliestfranchise in the extremist network, and is the target of frequent US drone attacks.AQAP said Wednesday's attack on the Aden military complex killed "nearly 50soldiers" and was part of its campaign to "target the joint operation rooms thatmanage the US drones in the country".A security official gave a death toll of six soldiers, three civilians, 10 assailants and asuicide bomber from that attack.