At least 13 soldiers in Yemen have been killed and 15 others taken hostage in an attack by suspected al-Qaeda militants in the Arab country’s strategic Red Sea port city of Hudeida.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Saturday that dozens of militants attacked security headquarters in the Jabal Ras area of the city, located 226 kilometers (140 miles) west of the capital, Sana’a, overnight, killing 13 soldiers, wounding 10, and taking 15 others hostage.
The official added that the assailants managed to seize the building, but three militants were also killed during scuffles with government forces.
An unnamed tribal source also said negotiations have been launched with the militants to win the hostages’ release.
“Tribal mediation is underway to secure the withdrawal of al-Qaeda militants and the release of the captured soldiers,” the source added.
Al-Qaeda militants frequently carry out attacks on Yemen’s security forces and have been locked in deadly battles with Shia Ansarullah fighters.
Al-Qaeda-linked violence against Yemeni security forces has grown since February 2012, when President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi came to power in a one-man election backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Hadi replaced long-time dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted after a year of mass protests across the country.
