Al-Qaeda fighters storm Yemeni city

At least 25 people were killed in Yemen, authorities said Saturday, after fierce fighting erupted overnight between Yemeni soldiers and Al-Qaeda fighters who launched a large-scale attack in the southern city of Seyoun.

Al-Qaeda fighters, armed with rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and explosives, drove into the city on 15 pickup trucks after detonating a car bomb at its entrance in Hadramout province, according to Reuters.

The deadly attack targeted an army base, the city’s central security headquarters, the Central Bank building, the traffic police department, the post office and the agricultural bank.

Officials told The Associated Press that Jalal Baliedy, a prominent Al-Qaeda leader, led the attack with dozens of armed men who, upon entering the city, split into groups, with each unit assigned to attack a certain target.

Despite their best efforts, the Al-Qaeda fighters failed to storm the army and security headquarters due to fierce resistance put up by government forces, officials said.

While the army regained control of Seyoun, the battle left at least 10 soldiers and 15 Al-Qaeda fighters dead, security sources said. Other reports put the death toll as high as 30.

The attack comes as Al-Qaeda continues to fight back against a government offense in the country.

With a population of 25 million, Yemen is trying to end three years of political unrest, which began when mass protests erupted in 2011 against then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Washington considers Yemen's Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula the most active branch of the group in the world, and has assisted Yemen's government with logistics, training and drone attacks against them.

The group is blamed for a number of unsuccessful bomb plots aimed at Americans, including an attempt to bring down a U.S.-bound airliner with an explosive hidden in the bomber's underwear and a second plot to send mail bombs hidden in toner cartridges on planes headed to the U.S.

Apart from the fight against Al-Qaeda, the government faces a push by southern separatists for independence and battles with rebels from the Shia Muslim Houthi movement, which is trying to extend its control over the north.

Al Jazeera and wire services