Six Al-Qaeda fighters were killed in shelling by Yemen forces in Maarib province, northeast of Yemen, on Monday, the Defence Ministry said. In a statement, the Ministry said that a number of Al-Qaeda gunmen targeted the third military command with mortar shells, injuring a number of soldiers and causing material damage to the command. The ministry added that the armed forces fired back at the militants killing six of them. The statement noted that the militants were on their way to carry out attacks on military and economic installations in the area.