In Yemen, 11 soldiers were killed in two separate attacks by suspected al-Qaida militants. Yemeni security officials said that the attacks killed six troops at a security checkpoint in the southern coastal city of Shukra in Abyan province, and another five in the province of Hadramawt. <br/><br/>The United States has stepped up airstrikes as part of a sustained assault on al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in areas of Yemen where it is most active. Washington considers al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula one of the most dangerous branches of the group. <br/><br/>