4 killed as al-Qaida suspects attack SE Yemen checkpoint
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E-mail Xinhua, October 9, 2012
4 killed as al-Qaida suspects attack SE Yemen checkpoint
ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen suspected of belonging to the al-Qaida group attacked a checkpoint of Yemen's elite Republican Guards in southeastern Hadramout province on Tuesday, leaving at least four soldiers killed, a police officer told Xinhua.
Up to five masked gunmen launched a surprise armed attack using assault rifles against a military checkpoint manned by members of the Republican Guards in Mukalla city, the provincial capital of Hadramout, leaving four soldiers killed at the scene, the local police officer said on condition of anonymity.
"The assailants fled the area after conducting the drive-by shooting. This coward attack carries the fingerprints of al-Qaida, " the police officer said.
Local residents told Xinhua that heavy machine-gun fire and explosions are still raging on across several neighborhoods in Mukalla.
The Republican Guards, the elite troops of Yemeni national army, are under the command of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's son, Ahmed.
Although the al-Qaida militants are usually held responsible for such armed attacks and bombings, no group has claimed responsibility for the armed attack.
Earlier in the day, Yemeni Interior Ministry said that al-Qaida wing has beheaded three Yemeni men after accusing them of allegedly collaborating with Yemeni-U.S. joint intelligence unit.
Yemen has undergone a political transition after the stepping down of former leader Saleh earlier this year under a peaceful transfer of power backed by the United Nations.
Restoring security in Yemen has become a priority after last year's unrest created security vacuum which was exploited by the insurgent al-Qaida wing to control swaths of remote land and expand activities to major cities. Enditem
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