SANAA, Yemen — Terror groups are still finding room to operate in in Yemen. On Sept. 6, an attack attributed to the al-Qaeda terrorist group killed 21 separatist soldiers in Ahwar district of Abyan province in southern Yemen.

With machine guns and hand grenades, the radical militants hit a checkpoint manned by the Security Belt Forces, a military unit affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC). The clash also left six of the attackers dead.

Reacting to the attack, the authorities in southern Yemen vowed to continue their war on terror. The internationally recognized government's Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daeri said the incident will not deter the armed forces from countering terrorist organizations and that there is a need for greater coordination among security forces.

Though the government and the separatists have been at loggerheads in southern Yemen, both sides condemned the killing of 21 soldiers. STC head Aidrous Al-Zubaidi also pledged to continue the fight against terrorist organizations in the south. He said in a Sept. 6 statement,"The battle against terrorism in all its forms continues, and it will not cease until every inch of the southern territory is purged of terrorism."