Yemen bombs al Qaeda held city

Map of the territory and area covered by prese...Image via Wikipedia
Reuters:

The Yemeni air force bombed an al Qaeda-held southern city on Monday and residents in another city said soldiers had opened fire on a demonstration and run protesters over with bulldozers, killing at least 15. In the latest sign Saudi Arabia's neighbour was moving towards civil war, six soldiers were killed in what appeared to be an ambush near Zinjibar, a coastal city taken over a few days ago by Islamist and al Qaeda militants.

Residents said jet fighters later strafed militant positions with bombs.

...
I am not sure what they mean by strafing positions with bombs. Strafing usually means firing machine guns are cannons at an area. Bombing an area has an obvious meaning.

What the story implies is that the government is moving against the al Qaeda operatives in the city of Zinjibar. By concentrating positions within the city, al Qaeda has made it easier for the military to find and destroy them. It will be difficult for al Qaeda to hold the city if the Yemen army continues its attacks.

The NY Times also has a report on the fighting in the area.
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