The army said it had killed 30 Islamist militants, including a local al-Qaeda leader. A local official said 15 soldiers had been killed in the battles for control of the town seized by militants about 10 days ago.
The fighting was another symptom of instability in Yemen, whose leader left for Saudi Arabia at the weekend for surgery on wounds suffered in an attack on his palace.
Saleh badly injured
Obama administration officials say Saleh was more badly injured than thought. They say Saleh has burns covering some 40 per cent of his body and is suffering from bleeding inside his skull.
(Published 07 June 2011, 17:21 IST)
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