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| map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com) |
About two suspected al-Qaida-held positions and other checkpoints manned by terrorists in the mountainous areas of Maraksha in Abyan province were bombed with several rockets, the local army officer said on condition of anonymity.
"The military aircraft struck the al-Qaida-held sites in Maraksha region in Abyan with an effective operation," the army officer said.
"The two air strikes targeted a large group of al-Qaida terrorists who were preparing to establish training camps in Abyan 's mountainous areas," the army officer added.
However, the army officer did not mention the number of casualties amongst the al-Qaida members.
On Thursday, the pro-government militiamen backed by a unit of the armed forces clashed with al-Qaida militants in the mountainous region of Maraksha, leaving at least 14 people killed on both sides, the Defense Ministry said in a brief text message obtained by Xinhua.
The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions.
The militants were targeted by Yemeni security authorities after a U.S.-backed offensive launched in the southern Abyan province months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds that they had controlled for nearly a year.
The Yemeni government along with the United states and oil-rich Saudi Arabia have beefed up anti-terror operation since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.
from XINHUA
2013-02-02 18:07:28
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