At least 11 troops and three civilians died on Friday as the Yemeni army fought gunmen in the southern city of Loder, a local security official told AFP. Eight of the troops were killed when a rocket-propelled grenade hit their armoured vehicle, Loder regional security chief Yahya al-Barkani conveyed.
A security source said the gunmen involved in the firefight may belong to Al-Qaeda, while another local official said the gunmen may have links with a southern separatist movement.
The three civilians were killed -- and another four injured -- when troops bombarded buildings near Loder market from where the military was being targeted, medical and security sources said.
Friday's clash came a day after a two-hour fighting in the same city, in the southern province of Abyan, in which gunmen killed two troops and wounded two others. A local official said the gunmen involved in that incident "could be part of Al-Qaeda."
The fighting on Thursday broke out after the gunmen attacked two troops in the marketplace and seized their weapons, leading to the intervention of the army.
