Car bombing kills 11 Yemeni soldiers

SAN'A, Yemen -- A car bomb exploded yesterday next to a military checkpoint in a central town where Yemeni government forces waged their first offensive targeting al-Qaida militants in the area, killing 11 soldiers, security and military officials said.

The officials said the explosion rocked the town of Radda, 100 miles south of the capital, San'a, when a suicide bomber blew up his car in an attack that bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida.

The bombing came on the same day the military began a wide offensive against al-Qaida in surrounding Bayda province, which has become a militant stronghold. Al-Qaida briefly seized Radda last year, giving them their closest ever foothold to the capital, where it is thought to be operating sleeper cells.

A military official said yesterday that the first day of shelling left six dead, four from al-Qaida and two from the army. Four other soldiers were wounded.

Government forces have been deployed to Radda for several days, and tribal leaders had first asked the military to postpone the operation for 48 hours as they tried to persuade the militants to leave town. The assault began after efforts for a peaceful solution apparently failed.

U.S. drone attacks have targeted many militants over the past year, and militants have fled to Radda, the home of two al-Qaida field commanders. -- AP