Militants execute 14 Yemeni soldiers
Suspected al-Qaeda militants have reportedly executed 14 Yemeni government soldiers in the country's southeast.
The soldiers were on their way on Friday to the capital, Sana'a, when the militants stopped their bus in the provincial Hadramawt town of Shibam and seized them, independent Yemeni news site Almasdar Online reported, quoting an unnamed local official.
The militants, led by wanted al-Qaeda operative Jalal Belaidi, slaughtered the soldiers in public and threatened to kidnap more security personnel and kill them, according to the official.
The site showed pictures of what it said were bodies of the slain soldiers. Some had their hands tied behind them. There was no official comment.
Yemeni troops have in recent months stepped up a military campaign against insurgents with suspected links to al-Qaeda mainly in the volatile south.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is seen as one of the most active and dangerous branches of the global jihadist network.
Yemen, an impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, is faced with severe economic problems and food shortages as well as a number of political and military conflicts.
