Prisoners flee Yemen jail after al-Qaeda attack

Clashes between the government and al-Qaeda have rocked Yemen's south Dozens of prisoners fled Wednesday from the central prison of the southwest city of Al-Mukalla and a security man was killed following an attack by Al-Qaeda militants, security sources told AFP. Clashes with heavy machine guns broke out between guards of the central jail in Al-Mukalla, capital of the Hadramawt province, and Al-Qaeda militants who raided the jail to free prisoners, the sources said.
The jail is believed to house more than 100 Al-Qaeda militants, 58 of whom have been tried in court and received jail sentences, the source said.
A medical source at Iben Seena hospital in the city said a security man was killed and two others wounded in the gunfire while several Al-Qaeda militants were wounded.
A civil society source said that around 40 prisoners managed to flee while witnesses told AFP that they saw dozens of prisoners escape.