Yemen troops 'die after Zinjibar friendly fire bombing'

Yemeni troops have been fighting militants in Abyan

At least 20 soldiers have been killed after Yemeni warplanes bombed army positions in the south of the country, local officials and medics said, though the government has denied the reports.

The bombing, on Saturday evening at a 119th brigade base near Zinjibar in restive Abyan province, was followed by attacks by militants, reports say.
It is unclear how many troops died in the bombing, or if it was an error.
However, Yemeni TV said no such air strike had taken place.
Reports say the 119th brigade has joined a rebellion against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The militants, allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, have exploited the chaos brought by months of anti-government protests to step up activities in the area.
Opposition groups say Yemen's government has played up the al-Qaeda threat in an effort to boost international support.
Medical sources at a hospital in the province told the BBC they had received a number of dead bodies.
"We are not sure of the number yet but some 18 or 20 soldiers were killed, the plane hit a small military site in Abyan. They meant to target an al-Qaeda hideout," a security official told Reuters news agency.
A miitary official told AFP that militants later attacked the base and "killed even more soldiers".

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