Sana'a: At least 20 people were killed and many injured when an al Qaeda suicide bomber blew himself up at a gathering of pro-government tribesmen in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, Xinhua reported on Sunday.
The bomber detonated his explosives belt at a funeral in Jaar town in Abyan late Saturday, an official said.
Abdulatif al-Saeed, the leader of the tribal fighters who had supported government troops in the fight against al Qaeda over the past few months, was killed in the bombing.
The attack took place less than an hour after a Yemeni-US coordinated airstrike killed four al Qaeda militants in the southeastern province of Hadramout.
Backed by US troops, Yemen launched an offensive in May against the al Qaeda, known locally as Ansar al-Sharia - or "Partisans of Islamic Law".
IANS
First Published: Sunday, August 05, 2012, 12:41