SANAA, Yemen—A security official in Yemen says heavily armed al-
Qaida militants laid a siege to a coast guard camp in a southern
town, shelling its barrack and killing four coast guard members.
The official says al-Qaida militants used anti-aircraft guns
mounted on pickup trucks Sunday in the coastal town of al-Shahr
in the province of Hadramawt overlooking the Gulf of Aden.  The
official says the military deployed troops and tanks and fought
with the al-Qaida militants. He spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to brief reporters.  Witness Ahmed
Ben Hamel said he saw tanks shelling nearby buildings suspected
to have been taken over by al-Qaida militants.  Yemen's local
branch of al-Qaida is considered the world's most dangerous by
the U.S. and has claimed a number of attacks.