ADEN: Suspected al-Qaeda gunmen have taken control of the south Yemen city of Zinjibar, capital of Abyan province, after heavy fighting with security forces that left 16 dead, an official said on Sunday.
The fighters "were able to gain control of the city of Zinjibar and took over all government facilities," except for the headquarters of the the 25th mechanised brigade, which is besieged by militants, the security official said.
Two other security officials said that fighting raged in the city on Friday and Saturday.
Five soldiers and a civilian were killed on Friday, they said, while residents of Zinjibar said they found the bodies of 10 soldiers, bringing the toll from the fighting there to at least 16.
One of the officials said that another two soldiers were killed Friday in clashes with suspected al-Qaeda fighters in the town of Loder, also in Abyan province.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011
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