ADEN, Yemen - At least 13 soldiers and 13 suspected al-Qaida militants were killed in an attack on an army base in the southern province of Abyan on Friday, medical and military sources said.
Two militants wearing army uniforms drove an explosives-laden car into the military base, killing themselves and 10 soldiers and injuring 15 other soldiers, a military official said.
Moments later, a group of militants attacked the base from the sea and 11 more militants and three soldiers were killed in the fighting that followed.
Key al-Qaida figure Saeed al-Shihiri killed by air strike, Yemen says
Violence has intensified in Yemen in recent weeks. The United States, wary of the growing power of al-Qaida, has stepped up drone strikes on suspected militant positions and militants have increased attacks on army targets.
Yemen's wealthier Gulf neighbors and Washington are concerned that al-Qaida and other Islamist militants operating in Yemen could pose a threat to top oil producer Saudi Arabia and to nearby shipping lanes.
Al-Qaida bomber was actually British spy
The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other militant groups strengthened their grip on parts of the country during an uprising that ousted veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh in February.
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