Yemen's army takes back control of al Qaeda town in the South

Yemen's military have reportedly taken back control of a town from al Qaeda militants [2], following a three-day battle that killed 17 people, AP reported on Sunday.

According to army officials, the Southern town of al-Maraksha, which was previously held by member of the terrorist network, is now back under the government's control.

Of the 17 killed, 12 were al Qaeda fighters [3] while the other five were a mix of government soldiers and local tribesmen supporting the military effort. 

Local tribal sources told AP that the al Qaeda militants had been pushed out of al-Maraksha and had fled to East Ahwar [4], 200km East of Aden. 

Last week, Yemen's military launched another attacked on an al Qaeda stronghold in the South [5] in the nearby al-Bayda province, after three Westerners were taken hostage. 

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