Abyan (Debriefer) - One soldier was killed and 3 others injured in clashes between security forces and armed men seen on Monday by the Yemeni southern governorate of Abyan.
The clashes were sparked when the gunmen (affiliated to the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council) blocked the international road, leaving one policeman killed and 3 others injured, Abyan security department said in a statement.
The armed men blocked traffic and detained a number of trucks on the road, pushing the security forces to intervene and reopen the road, the statement added.
According to local sources, the clashes erupted in Khabr al-Maraqisha, near to Ahwar district, when the STC gunmen erected a checkpoint to "blackmail trucks and travellers."
Salah al-Ouban, brother of Abyan special forces' commander, was killed in the clashes, in addition to three casualties, the sources added.
