By Shukri Hussein

ADEN, Yemen

At least 13 al-Qaeda militants were killed Saturday in clashes with tribesmen in southern Yemen, according to tribal sources.

Armed with machine guns and RPGs, al-Qaeda militants launched a dawn attack on Lawdar town in an attempt to capture security facilities in the area, the sources said.

“The tribesmen thwarted the attack and killed 13 militants,” one of the source said, requesting anonymity due to security concerns.

On Thursday, al-Qaeda militants reportedly captured the eastern entrance of the Lawdar Directorate in the Abyan province, according to local sources.

In August of last year, the Yemeni government announced the recapture of Abyan province from Al-Qaeda militants.

Since then, however, the militants have continued to carry out sporadic attacks on army facilities and personnel in the province, leaving dozens of soldiers dead.