SANAA
An Al-Qaeda-linked group in Yemen said Wednesday that its fighters had killed 20 Shiite Houthi militants in an attack in the central Al-Bayda' province.
Ansar al-Sharia, speaking on Twitter, said group members had attacked three Houthi sites in Radaa, including a checkpoint in the Dar al-Najd district, where, the group claimed, they had killed at least 20 Houthi militants.
It added that its fighters had retreated following the attacks without having sustained any losses.
Al-Qaeda and Houthi militants have been locking horns in Al-Bayda' for the last several weeks, with each seeking to tighten its grip on the flashpoint province.
The Houthis have controlled capital Sanaa since late September and have sought to expand their control farther afield ever since.
The growing Houthi influence in the country has pitted the Shiite movement against both Al-Qaeda, which is said to remain active in politically fractious Yemen, and allied tribes.
Recent fighting between the warring camps in the country's central and western regions has left dozens dead.
Yemen has remained in turmoil since a popular uprising that erupted in 2011 toppled longstanding president Ali Abdullah Saleh one year later.
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