Yemen clash kills 4 troops, 13 suspected militants

SANAA, Yemen - Clashes in Yemen between the army and al-Qaida's local branch there killed at least 13 suspected militants and four troops Saturday, Aug. 30, military officials said.

The officials said the fighting started in the early hours when a suicide car bomber attacked a military camp in the city of al-Qatn in the southern province of Hadramawt. Militants then assaulted the camp, prompting a gunbattle that lasted for more than an hour that killed 10 suspected militants and four troops. The army also fired artillery at a nearby home believed to hide al-Qaida fighters, killing three suspected militants inside, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

The U.S. considers Yemen's al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula the most active branch of the group in the world. The U.S. provides assistance to Yemen's security forces and carries out drone strikes in the country against suspected militants.