At least 30 soldiers were killed and many others captured when al-Qaida militants raided military posts in Yemen's southern Abyan province on Monday in retaliation for the killing of a senior al-Qaida leader the prior day in Shabwa, Almasdar Online reported.
Fahd al-Quso, one of the terrorists suspected in the bombing of the USS Cole Destroyer in Aden more than a decade ago, was killed an airstrike by a US drone in Shabwa on Sunday, security officials said.
"A drone strike targeted the car in which al-Quso and another al-Qaida militant were in Shabwa," the sources said. "The two were killed and the car completely destroyed," they said. Al-Qaida confirmed the death of al-Quso in a US drone attack.
In retaliation, the militants raided early Monday military posts in the Doufas and al-Koud areas in Abyan killing, injuring and arresting scores of soldiers, the website said. There were officers among the arrested and the number of the militants who were killed in the battles was unclear, it added.
The militants also seized military equipment, the website said.
In March, militants raided military posts in Abyan killing, injuring and capturing scores of soldiers and seizing military equipment.
With direct support from the US, the Yemeni army has been fighting AQAP for the past few years.
Exploiting the unrest in 2011, AQAP seized some towns in south Yemen, raising fears of the West in one of the poorest countries in the world.
More recently, the army in association with popular fighters has waged fierce battles against the militants in southern and southeastern regions including Abyan and Shabwa.
Hundreds of militants have been killed and injured and the forces have cleared militants from many areas including the capital of Abyan, Zinjibar.