4 Yemen coast guard members killed in al-Qaida attack in a southern town
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A security official in Yemen says heavily armed al-Qaida militants laid a siege to a coast guard camp in a southern town, shelling its barrack and killing four coast guard members.
The official says al-Qaida militants used anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks Sunday in the coastal town of al-Shahr in the province of Hadramawt overlooking the Gulf of Aden.
The official says the military deployed troops and tanks and fought with the al-Qaida militants. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Witness Ahmed Ben Hamel said he saw tanks shelling nearby buildings suspected to have been taken over by al-Qaida militants.
Yemen's local branch of al-Qaida is considered the world's most dangerous by the U.S. and has claimed a number of attacks.