Six Yemeni soldiers and 22 al-Qaeda militants died on Wednesday (May 23rd) as the army continued its offensive against the organisation and its strongholds in southern Yemen, AFP reported.

Six soldiers died as government forces attempted to advance on the northeastern outskirts of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, which was taken over by al-Qaeda fighters a year ago.

Nine other soldiers were wounded and 22 militants were killed in the clashes.

Also on Wednesday, army artillery hit al-Qaeda strongholds in the nearby city of Jaar.