* Fighting focused on outskirts of Qaeda-held Jaar
* Yemen, backed by U.S. drones, fighting militants in south
* Fears of al Qaeda rise near key shipping routes
* U.S. special operations general visits Yemen
(Adds quote from U.S. special operations chief)
ADEN, Yemen, May 19 (Reuters) – At least 22 al Qaeda-linked
militants and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes and air
strikes overnight during a U.S.-backed offensive against
insurgents in the south of the country, officials said on
Saturday.
Fighting erupted late on Friday and carried on into Saturday
on the outskirts of the southern city of Jaar, held by Islamist
militants who have stepped up their campaign during months of
political turmoil.
Government troops, backed by U.S. drone strikes, have been
trying to push the insurgents out of strongholds in the
country’s south, which lies near oil shipping routes through the
Red Sea.
Washington and Yemen’s neighbour Saudi Arabia both fear the
instability in Yemen could give al Qaeda’s regional wing a
stronger foothold in the region.
“There is heavy fighting, and the armed elements are doing
everything possible to stop the advance of (government) troops,”
a government official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.
Government forces were about 1km (0.6 mile) from Jaar, he
added.
Twelve Yemeni soldiers and 17 militants were killed in the
fighting and an air strike killed three militants on the
outskirts of the city, the official said.
Another air strike destroyed a vehicle used by militants,
killing two people inside in the southern province of Bayda,
provincial governor Mohammed al-Ameri was quoted as saying on a
defence ministry website.
Insurgents have seized swathes of territory in the south of
the impoverished Arab country since mass protests erupted last
year against then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Washington has stepped up drone attacks in Yemen since
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February. The
Pentagon said earlier this month it had resumed sending military
trainers to the Arab state.
On Saturday, the head of the U.S. Special Operations Forces
met Yemen’s chief of staff and said the United States was
committed to supporting Yemen, the state news agency Saba
reported.
General Ken Tovo said the United States “was prepared to
provide all necessary assistance to Yemen in fighting terrorism
and ensuring the elimination of al Qaeda”, the agency said.
Tovo’s visit to Yemen followed a trip to the country by FBI
director Robert Mueller in April.
On Friday, an army official and residents said troops backed
by local tribesmen had killed 10 suspected Islamist militants
outside Jaar.
Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda retreated on Thursday
from the town of Lawdar, about 80 km north of Jaar, as warplanes
attacked and ground troops advanced on insurgent-held towns.
(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf in Aden and Mohammed Ghobari
in Sanaa; Writing by Firouz Sedarat; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
