Yemen officials: Government forces take separatist army camp

Sanaa (Yemen) Aug 24 (AP) Yemeni military officials say forces loyal to the country's internationally recognised government have wrested control of a military camp from a separatist militia backed by the United Arab Emirates just outside a key southern city. They say government forces seized control on Saturday of the Elite Force militia's camp, west of the city of Ataq, the capital of oil-rich Shabwa province.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to brief the media. The camp's takeover came a day after government forces pushed the Elite Force out of Ataq.

The UAE-trained militia is part of the Southern Transitional Council, which launched an offensive earlier this month to take strategic southern areas from government forces, including the city of Aden and nearby Abyan province. (AP) IND

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