Yemen: Senior officials narrowly escape 'Al-Qaeda' attack

Sanaa, 29 Sept. (AKI) - Yemeni deputy army chief of staff Slim Qaten and the governor of the southern Shabwa province Hasan al-Ahmad survived an attack by Al-Qaeda insurgents, according to Yemeni newspaper Mareb Press.

The attack was carried out Wednesday by armed militants who ambushed the officials' convoy around 50 kilometres south of Yemeni capital Sanaa wounding five soldiers, according to the report.

Update: Killing one

The convoy was returning from an area where the military had been locked in a six-day battle with militants, the newspaper said.

Yemen faces two insurgencies. Since 2005 separatist rebels in the north known as the Al-Houthis have been fighting government forces, while Al-Qaeda and tribal militants have launched a series of attacks in the south.