Five civilians killed as Yemen battles ‘Qaeda’

ADEN: A shell smashed into a vehicle and killed five civilians on Thursday during clashes between Yemen´s army and Al-Qaeda suspects in the country´s restive south, witnesses said.

The incident occurred near Al-Saeed, an Al-Qaeda stronghold in Shabwa province, destroying the vehicle and killing all five people on board, the same sources said.

They identified the victims as members of the powerful Shabwa-based Awaliq tribe, from which US-born Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, killed in a US air strike in September 2011, hails.

One witness said the "echo of the sound made by the shelling came from an army position", as another spoke of a "mistake" by troops.

A tribal source also said "the army is responsible for firing at the car". But a military official denied the accusations, and blamed Al-Qaeda.

"Al-Qaeda elements wanted to attack an army vehicle but their shells hit a civilian car," he told AFP. (AFP)