Al-Qaida gunmen kill 13 in Yemen

Al-Qaida fighters have killed 13 soldiers escorting water tankers in south Yemen.

The gunmen who carried out the ambush in Lawder are being hunted by troops, said deputy governor of Abyan province, Salih al-Shamsi.

Lawder was the scene of heavy fighting between Yemen's military and al-Qaida elements last year after a series of attacks on security forces in the town and surrounding area.

Yemen's government is battling a resurgent al Qaida presence that also drew deep international concern after the terror network's local offshoot claimed responsibility for an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner in December, 2009.