7 January 2011 Last updated at 11:32 ET

Yemeni soldiers killed in Islamist militant attack

At least 12 soldiers have been killed in southern Yemen by Islamist militants, officials say.

Gunmen reportedly ambushed a military convoy escorting water tankers and lorries carrying food supplies in Lawder, in Abyan province.

Officials said army units were pursuing the gunmen.

Yemeni troops have carried out a series of raids in the area in recent months, targeting militants said to be linked to al-Qaeda.

Abyan and adjacent Shabwa province have become major fields of operation for al-Qaeda.

Attacks by the group on western and regional targets are on the increase and al-Qaeda's Yemen-based wing is thought to have been responsible for the air cargo bombs intercepted in Dubai and Britain last October.

The country also sees sporadic violence by Southern separatists, who say the central government discriminates against them.

The government signed a ceasefire with Shia rebels in the north in February 2010.