At least 31 civilians were killed in three misdirected air strikes when the army continued fighting Al-Qaeda militants or Sharia supporters in Abyan on Monday.
The two raids struck a mosque in Jaar city, which is under the control of the militants, the outlets cited local officials as saying.
“The strikes, which also injured dozens civilians, were supposed to target a small mosque of Al-Qaeda in the area,” the officials continued.
For the past few months now, several southern towns of the Abyan province have fallen under the control of an armed group called “Ansar al Shariah”, which according to the government has linked with the terror group, al-Qaeda.
Since the Islamists militants overrun, Zinjibar, Abyan’s capital, the regime’s military forces have been trying in vain to force them back. Despite the government’s best efforts and claims that it is making progress, the group is advancing further within Yemen’s southern territories, threatening to overtake neighboring Marib and Shabwa.
Ansar al Shariah set up base in Jaar in April, which led the Defense ministry to concentrate its air raids in the vicinity.
The Jet fighters flew over the area several times as to identify their targets before launching their bombs onto the city, causing widespread panic amongst the population.