SANAA, Yemen – Al-Qaida militants overran an army base in southern Yemen on Sunday, capturing heavy weapons and turning them on soldiers in intense clashes that left 61 dead, a military official said.

The battle near the southern town of Zinjibar killed 36 government troops and 25 of the militants, he said. A medical official confirmed the death toll.

Scores were wounded from both sides, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The official said the fighting was taking place west of Abyan’s provincial capital of Zinjibar. Militants seized control of the town in May, taking advantage of political turmoil linked to the uprising against then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh stepped down last month in a power transfer deal that Washington hoped would allow Yemen’s new leaders to move against al-Qaida.