US drones kill 8 AQAP fighters in Yemen strike

By Bill Roggio - June 1, 2013 - LWJ

US drones launched the first strike in Yemen in 12 days, killing eight "militants" in an attack on an convoy in a southern town controlled by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched three missiles at a convoy of pickup trucks carrying AQAP fighters in the Al Mahfad area in the southern province of Abyan today, Xinhua reported.

The target of today's strike was not disclosed. Eight members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed in the airstrike, and three more were wounded. No senior AQAP operatives or leaders are reported to have been killed.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and leaders have regrouped in the Al Mahfad area after being driven from cities such as Zinjibar, Jaar, Lawdar, and Shaqra during a Yemeni military offensive that began in the spring of 2012 [see Threat Matrix report, AQAP regroups in Abyan province]. AQAP controlled the cities in Abyan, as well as other cities and towns in neighboring
Shabwa province, after launching its own offensive in the spring of 2011.

The US has launched one other drone strike in Al Mahfad. That attack took place on May 18. Four AQAP fighters were killed when the drones launched missiles against a vehicle carrying grenades and suicide belts.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/us_drones_kill_8_aqa.php#ixzz2V0j5q1UG

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Al-Qaida militants take over village in southeast Yemen

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgwonow.com)

ADEN, Yemen, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of fighters of the Yemen- based al-Qaida offshoot took control of a small village in the southeastern province of Hadramout, a provincial security official told Xinhua on Saturday.
"Scores of fighters from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP) are preparing to declare the Ghayl Bawazir area near the port city of Mukalla, the provincial capital, as an emirate of their newest Islamic state," the local security official said on condition of anonymity, adding that "the al-Qaida fighters armed with assault rifles are stationed at several checkpoints throughout the area."

A local resident told Xinhua anonymously that "masked al-Qaida militants seized the Ghayl Bawazir area and said they were going to establish an Islamic caliphate. People were very scared."

The country's the interior ministry said in a brief statement posted on its web page "the terrorist presence of al-Qaida in Hadramout will suffer the same fate as that in Abyan."

In January 2009, al-Qaida affiliates in Saudi Arabia and Yemen officially merged and formed the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

The group, mainly entrenching itself in Yemen's southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, is on the terrorist list of the United States, which considers it as an increasing threat to its national security.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemen's new President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi who won support from major Yemeni political forces, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Hadi is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to growing influence of al-Qaida that threatens daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

from XINHUA
2013-05-25 17:45:42

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U.S. drone kills 2 al-Qaida suspects in central Yemen

SANAA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike killed two al- Qaida suspects in Yemen's central province of al-Bayda on Monday, a provincial police official said.

The raid took place on Monday dawn in Khubzat Kaifa in al- Kuraishia district of Radda city, when the suspects left a farm on a motorbike in the area, the official told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity.

The Yemeni defense ministry on its website identified the targets as Abd-Rabbu Jar Allah and Obad Mossad Obad.

Radda city, some 170 km southeast of the capital Sanaa, was the scene of deadly battles before the government troops recaptured the city following a deal with the al-Qaida earlier last year.

On Saturday, a U.S. drone strike killed at least five suspected al-Qaida militants in the southern province of Abyan.

The United States has beefed up anti-terror cooperation with the Yemeni government since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office last February, after a year of political upheaval that allowed al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to capture several cities in southern Yemen.

from XINHUA
2013-05-20 19:53:10    

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• 5 al-Qaida members killed in U.S. drone strike in Yemen's south (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)

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5 al-Qaida members killed in U.S. drone strike in Yemen's south

ADEN, Yemen, May 18 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike killed at least five members of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot in the southern province of Abyan on Saturday, a government official told Xinhua.

"About five terrorists were killed when a drone strike targeted an al-Qaida convoy that was passing through a desert road in the town of Jaar in Abyan province," the government source said on condition of anonymity.

Local residents near the scene confirmed to Xinhua, saying that "vehicles of the al-Qaida terrorist group were struck by three rockets. Several people were either killed or injured in the bombing."

Dozens of al-Qaida members have been killed in such airstrikes since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012, after a year-long unrest weakened the control of the central government and allowed the militants to take over swaths of territory in the south.

The Yemeni government managed to recapture several of southern cities in May 2012.

But on Jan. 23, a U.S. drone strike targeting armed militants mistakenly hit a house of civilians in Yemen's southeastern province of al-Bayda, killing two children, according to Yemeni officials.

from XINHUA
2013-05-19 03:50:10

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Would-be suicide bomber killed in Yemen's Aden

ADEN, Yemen, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Troops of the Yemeni anti- terrorism forces foiled a terror attack and shot dead a would-be suicide bomber on Sunday morning in the southern port city of Aden, a government official told Xinhua.
The troops launched a storming campaign against an al-Qaida- held house in Aden's neighborhood of Mansoura, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"An al-Qaida terrorist cell planning to carry out terror attacks and suicide operations was discovered in a building in Aden," the source said, adding that "An al-Qaida suicide bomber was killed and an explosive-packed car was seized during the operation."

Experts of the anti-bomb disposal unit have arrived at the site and managed to defuse the car bomb, according to the official.

Yemeni security services have repeatedly blamed militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot for a series of assassination attacks, mostly in the country's southern regions.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which emerged in January 2009, is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and its neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who came to power after winning support from major Yemeni political forces, the United States and Saudi Arabia in February 2012.

Hadi is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to growing influence of al-Qaida that also threatens daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

from XINHUA
2013-05-12 16:15:37

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Finnish, Austrian hostages released by al-Qaida in Yemen

Map of Yemen.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SANAA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- A Finnish couple and an Austrian man kidnapped by al-Qaida militants in Yemen last December were released through an Omani mediation, a Yemeni government official told Xinhua Thursday.

"The Finnish couple and their Austrian friend who were snatched by al-Qaida group from the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in December last year were released through mediation of the Omani government and the Yemeni tribe on Wednesday night," the senior official told Xinhua by phone, requesting anonymity.

"A big ransom of money, about millions of U.S. dollars, has been paid to the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in return of releasing the hostages," he said, adding that "the group was handed over on Wednesday night to the Omani officials."

"The Yemeni government did not participate in the mediation process," he added.

An editor at the Finnish Broadcasting Company in the Finnish capital of Helsinki told Xinhua that "the Finnish Foreign Ministry will hold a press conference in Helsinki on the release of the Finnish hostages in Yemen."

On Dec. 21, 2012, the three Europeans, who studied Arabic language in a school in the old city in Sanaa, were kidnapped from a busy street.

A specialist on al-Qaida issues said "successful negotiations" led to the release of the hostages.

"Negotiations had succeeded thanks to the Omani government ... and tribal mediators also hope that Saudi Arabia do the same thing and send honest negotiators, not agents and spies, to free a Saudi diplomat hostage who is still in the hands of al-Qaida militants since 2012," Abdelrazak al-Jamal told Xinhua by phone, citing a statement by the Yemeni tribal mediators.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida wing, the most active terrorist network in the Arab country, has been holding Abdullah al-Khaledi, the Saudi deputy consul in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, for almost one year and a half.

Al-Khaledi has made several appeals to the Saudi king to help free him since he was snatched by the AQAP on March 28, 2012.

On Feb. 27, a Swiss woman kidnapped by the AQAP in Yemen for one year was released through a Qatari mediation.

from XINHUA
Editor: Mu Xuequan
2013-05-10 03:09:01

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• Finnish, Austrian hostages freed from Yemen (dailystar.com.lb)

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New militant magazine appeals for help against drones

A new magazine set up by militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan has appealed to Muslims around the world to come up with a new technology to hack or manipulate drones.

The magazine has mentioned this as their most important priorities.

According to the Express Tribune, the first issue of the English-language online magazine, called 'Azan', was published on May 5, the SITE intelligence monitoring group said.

It compared Azan to the 'Inspire' magazine, which has been set up by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The magazine said that drone strikes were affecting the war in the Waziristan tribal areas of Pakistan - where al Qaeda is based along with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Afghan Taliban fighters.

Western officials have said drone strikes have been highly effective in disrupting the activities of al Qaeda and its allies in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

According to the report, Azan magazine accused the Pakistan Army of continuing to work with the United States.

'Azan' covers many areas where al Qaeda is active, from Syria to Mali, and celebrates Afghanistan as the base for the start of global jihad, its focus, however, is on Pakistan.

One section in the magazine is devoted to criticising Malala Yousufzai, the schoolgirl who survived being shot by the Pakistani Taliban last year after she spoke out for her right to an education.

Another segment attacks the Pakistan Army for turning its back on traditional enemy India to fight in the tribal areas.

from afghanistannews.netTuesday 7th May, 2013
---

Read the full article from REUTERS here

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• New Jihadi Magazine Appeals For Help To Manipulate Drones (patdollard.com)

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Al-Qaida gunmen assassinate military intelligence official in Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Masked gunmen of the Yemen- based al-Qaida offshoot shot dead a high-ranking military intelligence official in the southeastern province of Hadramout on Saturday, a government official told Xinhua.
About two masked gunmen riding a motorbike fired at Colonel Ahmed Abdul-Razzak, director of the military intelligence department in Hadramout province, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"Criminals of the al-Qaida terrorist group committed a criminal act and assassinated Col. Abdul-Razzak on a main road near his home in the coastal town of Mukalla," the government source said.

Yemeni security services have repeatedly blamed militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot for a series of assassination attacks, mostly in the country's southern regions.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which emerged in January 2009, is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and its neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

The AQAP underscores the challenges faced by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who came to power after winning support from major Yemeni political forces in February 2012.

Hadi is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to the growing influence of al-Qaida that also threatens daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

from XINHUA
Editor: Mu Xuequan
2013-04-28 00:41:20

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U.S. drone strike kills 2 militants in Yemen

SANAA, April 21 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike killed at least two al-Qaida suspects in Yemen's central province of Marib on Sunday, an interior ministry official said.
"Two unidentified men were killed when a drone strike hit a gathering of militants in a house in a remote area outside Wadi Abida in Marib province on Sunday," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"The militants used to gather in farms under the cover of trees and they heard the sound of the drone hours earlier," the official said, adding "The trees make it difficult for drones to accurately hit targets."

"No further details, but part of the house was on fire," he said.

The air strike was the second in less than a week after another U.S. drone killed five militants in the nearby southern province of Dhamar on Wednesday, according to the Yemeni government officials.

Dozens of al-Qaida members have been killed in such airstrikes since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012, after a year-long unrest weakened the control of the central government and allowed the militants to take over swaths of territory in the south. The Yemeni government managed to recapture several of those southern cities in May 2012.

But on Jan. 23, a U.S. drone strike targeting armed militants mistakenly hit a house of civilians in Yemen's southeastern province of al-Bayda, killing two children, according to Yemeni officials.

from XINHUA
by Editor: Fang Yang
2013-04-21 19:09:32

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2 soldiers killed in attack on army checkpoint in Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Three secessionists attacked an army checkpoint in Yemen's southern province of al-Dhalea on Tuesday, killing at least two soldiers, a police source and some local residents told Xinhua.

The pro-secession gunmen attacked a key checkpoint in a eastern suburb of al-Dhalea province and tried to take control of it, killing at least two soldiers at the scene, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Also, some local residents told Xinhua that the attackers, riding two motorbikes, threw two grenades toward the soldiers at the checkpoint and then fled.

Army reinforcements were later deployed around the military site, according to witnesses.

Last week, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi started a national dialogue to end the country's prolonged political crisis.

The talks aimed to end separatist movement in the south in order to preserve unity, draft a new constitution and pave the way for the parliamentary and presidential elections set for February 2014.

However, leaders of the separatist Southern Movement refused to join the talks, insisting that the government troops should withdraw from the south.

from XINHUA
2013-03-27 08:27:05

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Al-Qaida suspects kidnap military intelligence officer in southern Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Suspected al-Qaida militants abducted a military intelligence officer from his residential building in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Sunday, a government official told Xinhua.
Four gunmen suspected of belonging to the al-Qaida terrorist group kidnapped Brig. Khaled Masood from his house located in the eastern suburbs of Mudiyah town in Abyan province, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"The al-Qaida suspects who were armed with assault rifles raided the officer's house and took him to unknown location," the government source said.

The source said that the military officer was kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination. Security authorities were working to track the kidnappers.

No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping so far.

Several security and intelligence officials were assassinated or kidnapped in recent months in southern regions, where the al- Qaida militants are active.

Combating al-Qaida militants in the restive south is one of the challenges confronting Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has promised to uproot the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida with the help of the United States and neighboring Saudi Arabia.

from XINHUA
2013-03-24 19:59:19

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Al-Qaida militants ambush pro-gov't militia in southern Yemen, 3 killed

ADEN, Yemen, March 22 (Xinhua) -- About three members of pro- government militia were killed Friday in an ambush by al-Qaida militants in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, a security official told Xinhua.

The al-Qaida militants set up a well-planned ambush for a convoy of the pro-government militiamen in Maraksha area in Abyan province, killing at least three people, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"A four-car convoy of the pro-government militiamen was ambushed by a group of terrorists while heading toward the mountainous area of Maraksha," the security source said.

A local tribal chief told Xinhua anonymously that "armed confrontations broke out with al-Qaida militants after the attack. Several al-Qaida fighters were either killed or injured in the ongoing fighting."

The al-Qaida terrorist group, which has been waging an insurgency for more than two years, has yet to make comments.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, locally known as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of 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 which they had controlled for nearly a year.

The Yemeni government, along with the United states and oil- rich Saudi Arabia, has beefed up anti-terror operation since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

from XINHUA
2013-03-22 17:28:20

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Five killed in Yemen clash between Al-Qaeda fighters, militia

ADEN, Yemen: At least five people were killed in Yemen when a pro-government militia attacked Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants on Thursday, residents and militia sources said.

U.S.-allied Yemen has been grappling with an Islamist insurgency since popular protests forced President Ali Abdulah Saleh to step down in November 2011.

The United States considers Yemen an important ally against Al-Qaeda which it fears could use the country to plot attacks against its interests, and has regularly used drones to hit suspected militants there.

The sources said several people were wounded on Thursday in the fighting which broke out in the village of al-Qafr in the southern province of Abyan.

The two groups have regularly attacked each other since the pro-government Popular Committees were set up as a volunteer force against militants who exploited the 2011 political turmoil to seize territory and impose Islamic Sharia.

A U.S.-backed offensive by the Yemeni military last May recaptured ground from the militants and drove them out of towns they had seized the year before.

In the latest incident, dozens of pro-government Popular Committee members attacked Ansar al-Sharia fighters to avenge the killing of one of their colleagues the day before, militia sources said.

Three of those killed were members of Ansar al-Sahria and the other two were militia fighters, the sources said.

Yemen, situated next to the world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, is also fighting a separatist movement in the south and faces a potential challenge from Shiite Muslim rebels, known as Houthis, in the north.


Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Mar-21/211033-five-killed-in-yemen-clash-between-al-qaeda-fighters-militia.ashx#ixzz2OCW4PZTF
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
March 21, 2013 03:58 PM (Last updated: March 21, 2013 05:57 PM)

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10 al-Qaida members captured in southern Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's pro-government militiamen raided a terrorist cell and captured 10 al-Qaida members on Sunday in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, a tribal chief told Xinhua.

The militiamen destroyed an al-Qaida terrorist cell that was operating in Abyan's Jaar town and planning armed attacks against army posts in the region, the local tribal chief said on condition of anonymity.

"Our tribal fighters stormed an al-Qaida-held site in Jaar town and seized 10 terrorists along with three improvised explosive devices," the tribal source said.

Two of the al-Qaida members were behind an armed attack that targeted a post run by pro-government militiamen last week, according to the tribal chief.

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 Abyan province months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds they had controlled for nearly one year.

The Yemeni government has beefed up anti-terror operation since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

from XINHUA2013-03-11 06:41:52

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Three al-Qaida members captured over suicide bombing in southern Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Pro-government militiamen captured Tuesday three members of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot in southern Abyan province who were linked to a suicide bombing that killed 12 people, a tribal chief told Xinhua.

About three terrorists suspected of masterminding a suicide bombing that killed 12 pro-government militiamen in Abyan's town of Lauder were captured inside an al-Qaida-held house, the local tribal chief said on condition of anonymity.

"The captured men were accused of planning attacks against pro- government militiamen. Explosives along with grenades, automatic rifles and pistols were seized inside the house," the tribal source added.

On Monday, an al-Qaida suicide attacker slammed his explosives- packed vehicle into a post run by pro-government militiamen in Lauder town, killing 12 people and wounding 16 others.

The al-Qaida militants frequently use improvised explosive devices, roadside bombs and carry out suicide attacks against the security forces, pro-government militiamen and intelligence officials in southern regions.

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 Abyan province months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds that they had controlled for nearly a year.

The Yemeni government has beefed up anti-terror operation since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

from XINHUA
2013-03-06 01:14:42

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Suicide car-bomb kills 12 in Yemen

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

ADEN, Yemen, March 4 (Xinhua) -- An explosive-laden car went off near a post run by pro-government militiamen in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Monday evening, killing 12 people and wounding 16 others, a security official told Xinhua.

An al-Qaida suicide attacker slammed his explosives-packed vehicle into a post run by pro-government militiamen in Luader town in Abyan province, leaving at least 12 people killed and more than 16 others injured, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"Among the dead so far identified are two leaders of the anti- al-Qaida militiamen. Several people were also seriously injured in the car bombing," the security source said.

"The booby-trapped car approached the post used by the pro- government militiamen and exploded, causing a massive blast in the region," he added.

Local residents, meanwhile, said the blast took place near a military checkpoint manned by the pro-government militiamen and was followed by heavy gunfire.

A tribal chief said that about 12 members of the anti-al-Qaida militiamen were killed and 16 others injured in the bombing.

The car bomb attack was perpetrated by a suicide attacker of the al-Qaida terrorist group, according to local officials.

The al-Qaida militants use improvised explosive devices, roadside bombs and suicide attacks against the security forces, pro-government militiamen and intelligence officials in southern regions.

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 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
013-03-05 00:16:39

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Swiss woman kidnapped by al-Qaida freed in Yemen

SANAA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Swiss woman kidnapped by the al- Qaida wing in Yemen for one year was released on Wednesday, an official of the Yemeni Interior Ministry told Xinhua.

"Sylvia Abrahat, the Swiss teacher who worked in an English- language school in the western port city of al-Hodayda and was snatched by al-Qaida militants in March last year was freed Wednesday by a tribal mediation," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"Abrahat was handed over to the government authorities in the southeastern province of Shabwa, where the negotiations took place, " the official said, declining to clarify what were the demands of the al-Qaida.

Meanwhile, a specialist on al-Qaida issues confirmed the " successful negotiations" that led to the release of the Swiss woman.

"I was informed tonight from sources close to the tribal mediators and al-Qaida militants that the negotiations over the release of the Swiss hostage has ended successfully earlier Wednesday," Abdelrazak al-Jamal told Xinhua by phone.

"No information about the details of the agreed deal has yet been available," he said.

Foreigners are frequently kidnapped in Yemen by al-Qaida militants or tribesmen who asked for ransoms or the release of their jailed fellows. Most of the kidnapped have been freed unharmed.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida wing, the most active terrorist network in the Middle East, is also holding a Saudi diplomat captive for almost one year, as well as three Europeans, a Finnish couple and an Austrian, for nearly two months.

On Tuesday, Yemeni government officials said that tribal chiefs began mediation efforts to secure the release of three Europeans held hostage by the al-Qaida wing last December.

"The act came after President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi received a phone call from European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, during which the president promised to run mediation efforts on all levels to free the hostages," an official of the Presidential Palace told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Officials said they demanded a ransom of millions of euros during talks over the past month to release the Europeans, while al-Qaida stipulated the release of jailed women in Saudi Arabia in return for the release of the Saudi diplomat.

The Finnish couple and their Austrian friend, who studied Arabic language in a school in the old city of the capital Sanaa, were snatched on Dec. 21, 2012 from a busy street in central Sanaa.

from XINHUA
2013-02-28 05:58:39
Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Clashes between police, separatists erupt in Yemen's Aden, 5 injured

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni police troops clashed with secessionist activists in the southern port city of Aden Saturday morning, leaving at least five people seriously injured, local security source and medics told Xinhua.

The police troops clashed with separatist activists who called for a general strike in Aden, injuring at least five people, a provincial security source said on condition of anonymity.

"Activists of the separatist movement launched a civil disobedience campaign against the government authorities in Aden. Shops, public offices and schools remain closed," the security source said.

"The clashes are still going on as police vehicles attempted to remove barricades and open closed streets and engaged in confrontations with secessionists in Aden's neighborhood of Mansoura," he added.

Meanwhile, local medics said that "a secessionist man was shot in the neck and seriously wounded."

A secessionist leader told Xinhua anonymously that "We called for an open-ended general strike in Aden and several southern regions until the regime pulls the army out of cities and releases our detainees."

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has called for separatist groups in the country's southern regions to take part in a planned reconciliation national dialogue to settle disputes and promised to compensate them.

Separatist sentiment escalated after northern troops overran southern regions following a four-month civil war in 1994. Southerners complain of being economically and politically marginalized and discriminated.

Hadi announced that the government will hold the national dialogue on March 18 to solve disputes among political factions and pave the way for amending the constitution and preparing for presidential elections in 2014.

from XINHUA
2013-02-23 19:12:48
Editor: Chen Zhi

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Bomb attack injures three pro-government militiamen in southern Yemen

map byEvan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least three pro-government militiamen were wounded in a bomb explosion in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Tuesday night, a security official told Xinhua Wednesday.
The bomb went off outside the pro-government militiamen headquarters in Jaar town in Abyan province, injuring at least three people at the scene, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"A huge blast took place near a building held by pro-government militiamen in Abyan. The building was partially damaged. However, it caused no loss of life and only three people were injured," the security source said.

Witnesses told Xinhua that the two-floor building in Jaar town "was hit by an explosive that seemed large" and "small damage" was caused.

The bomb attack was perpetrated by attackers of the al-Qaida terrorist group, according to local officials.

The al-Qaida militants frequently use improvised explosive devices, including roadside bombs, against the security forces, pro-government militiamen and intelligence officials in southern regions.

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 routed the militants out of the strongholds that they had controlled for nearly a year.

The Yemeni government along with the United states and oil-rich Saudi Arabia has beefed up anti-terror operation since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

from XINHUA
2013-02-13 16:09:59

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Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula denounces "crusader" French in Mali

Bamako, Mali (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Reuters) - The Yemen-based offshoot of Al Qaeda urged Muslims to sacrifice themselves and their money to help fend off what it called the "Crusader war" in Mali, according to a statement posted online on Tuesday.

France intervened in Mali last month to check a push south towards the capital Bamako by Islamist forces who seized control of the north of the country in the confusion that followed a military coup in March 2012.

Their surprise advance pushed Mali to the forefront of U.S. and European security concerns, with fears the Islamists would turn the country into a base for international attacks.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) compared the French intervention to what it called the "Zionist occupation of Palestine".

The group said supporting Muslims in Mali was "a duty for every able Muslim, to offer himself or his money, each according to his ability."

Formed in 2009, AQAP has carried suicide attacks on Yemeni government installations and military targets in Yemen. It was also behind a December 2009 plot to blow up a US airliner as it approached Detroit and a 2010 plan to send bombs hidden in computer printers on two cargo aircraft.

Former CIA director David Petraeus has described AQAP as the "most dangerous regional node in the global jihad".

The Mali offensive by French troops, which began last month, has pushed Islamist insurgents out of their strongholds in the north. But the militants launched a surprise raid in the heart of the Malian town of Gao on Sunday.

The brazenness of the rebel raid, which followed successive blasts by two suicide bombers at a northern checkpoint, was a surprise to the French-led military operation, which had so far faced little real resistance from the Islamists.

from REUTERS
DUBAI | Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:36am GMT
(Reporting by Ali Abdelatti in Cairo, writing by Sami Aboudi, Editing by WIlliam Maclean and John Stonestreet)

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