At least 72 militants killed in Yemen violence

At least 72 suspected al Qaeda-linked fighters were killed in Yemen on Wednesday, officials and tribal sources said, as the government sought to seize the momentum in its efforts to contain an Islamist insurgency. Militant group Ansar al-Sharia said however only two of its fighters had been killed in Wednesday's clashes.

A senior government official said the fighting around Lawdar marked a turning point in its fight against Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) following a series of defeats.(Reuters)