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

Read More

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    

Related articles

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

Read More

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

Related articles

• 'US drone' kills four in strike on al-Qaida target in Yemen (guardian.co.uk)
• Al Qaeda Militants Killed In Drone Strike In Yemen (huffingtonpost.com)

Read More

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

Related articles

• Yemen kidnappers free Finnish couple, Austrian: security source (news.terra.com)
• Finnish, Austrian hostages freed from Yemen (dailystar.com.lb)

Read More

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

Read More

Al-Qaida kills 2 Yemeni soldiers in revenge attack

SANAA, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qaida militants raided a military checkpoint in Yemen's central province of Marib on Sunday, killing two soldiers and injuring seven others in an apparent retaliation to a U.S. drone strike earlier in the day, a government security report said.
"Five al-Qaida gunmen on board a car carried out a surprise attack on a military checkpoint of the 3rd Infantry Brigade in a road close to the earlier drone strike site, killing two soldiers and wounding seven others," said the report issued by the interior ministry.

"The attack took place in the afternoon in an apparent revenge to the earlier drone strike. The 3rd Infantry Brigade sent reinforcement one hour later and fired heavily toward farms in the edge of Wadi Abida area, where the militants are believed to hide in," it said.

Earlier in the day, a U.S. drone strike killed at least two militants and injured several others in a raid on a house of the suspected militants outside Wadi Abida in central Marib, some 170 km northeast of the capital Sanaa.

The air strike was the second in less than a week after another U.S. drone attack 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.

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: Mu Xuequan
2013-04-21 23:13:49

Related articles

• U.S. drone strike kills 2 militants in Yemen (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)

Read More

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

Read More

UAE Arrests Al-Qaida-Linked 'Terrorist Cell'

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have arrested seven people they say are part of an al-Qaida-linked terrorist cell.
 
The official WAM news agency said Thursday the group was "planning to carry out acts" in the UAE, as well as to recruit others and promote al-Qaida.

It said the seven people arrested were of "Arab nationalities" but did not give additional details.

The statement also said the group was providing money and logistical support to help al-Qaida further its activities in the region.

Middle East Policy Council Executive Director Thomas Mattair says support for Islamist extremism is rife throughout the region. He says counter-terrorism efforts, while successful in some areas, tend to drive recruits across borders.

"The Saudis, the Emiratis, they cooperate with us strenuously to root out these people and there have been successes in both countries," he said. "But the result is that a lot of [the terrorists] have been driven into Yemen, and that's really where the problem is most critical. They could have been transiting the UAE on their way somewhere else, possibly to Syria."

Mattair says when Sunni Arabs across the region see their co-religionists under siege in Syria, which drives some into the hands of extremist groups.

In December, UAE authorities arrested what they called a "deviant group" in connection with a terrorist cell planning attacks in the Gulf kingdom, Saudi Arabia and nearby states.

Mattair says that a serious U.S. commitment to helping push the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to resolution would deprive al-Qaida of a major source of propaganda.

Mattair says al-Qaida recruitment videos feature Palestinians or Iraqis who it says have been killed and that the group "blames [their deaths] on the United States."

from VOA News
April 18, 2013

Read More

US drones kill 5 AQAP operatives in Yemen

By Bill Roggio - April 17, 2013 - LWJ

The US launched a pair of drone strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula today in a remote area in central Yemen, according to reports. The strikes are the first recorded in the country since the end of January.
The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers attacked two separate targets in the Oussab al Ali area, which was described by The Associated Press as a mountainous region "located in the middle of three provinces of central Damar, southern Ibb and eastern Hodeida."
The first strike killed four AQAP fighters as they were driving a vehicle in the area, Yemeni intelligence officials told AP.
The second strike killed Hamed Radman, who was described as an "influential al Qaeda member" who "played a role in recruitment." A Yemeni witness in the area said that US drones were deployed over the village where Radman was killed for three days before striking.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/04/us_drones_kill_5_aqa.php#ixzz2QnpmsoKF

---

 from XINHUA:
2013-04-18 02:56:14

SANAA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike killed at least five al-Qaida militants in Yemen's central province of Dhamar on Wednesday night, an interior ministry official told Xinhua.

"Five al-Qaida operatives, including its leader in Dhamar province Hamid al-Radami, were confirmed killed by two missiles fired from the unmanned warplane tonight," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"The targeted militants were all in a car driving in Madhlab area in Wisab Alaly district near the house of al-Qaida's local leader al-Radami," the official said, adding that "they were all under surveillance since they left al-Radami's house few minutes before the airstrike."

"It was a joint military operation between Yemeni, U.S. and Saudi intelligence services," he said.

Al-Radami, also known as Abu Osama, had set up several hidden training camps for al-Qaida in Dhamar province, about 100 km south of Yemen's capital Sanaa.

The strike came after a pause of more than two months by the U. S. unmanned warplanes, which Yemeni security officials said take off from a U.S. military base in southern Saudi Arabia.

Related articles

• US drones kill 5 AQAP operatives in Yemen (longwarjournal.org)
• Drone strike kills five Yemen Qaeda suspects: official (dawn.com)
• Yemen: US drone strikes kill 4 al-Qaida suspects (foxnews.com)
• Yemen: US drone strikes kill 4 al-Qaida suspects (stripes.com)

Read More

5 killed, 13 injured in Iraqi violence

BAGHDAD, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and 13 others wounded in separate attacks in Iraq Monday, while an al- Qaida militant leader was shot dead in a raid, the police said.

In Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, two policemen were killed when a roadside bomb struck a joint police-army patrol in the western part of the provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Iraq's capital Baghdad, a provincial police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Five policemen and three soldiers, including an officer, were wounded by the blast, the source said.

In a separate incident, a paramilitary member of local Awakening Council group was killed and three others wounded when gunmen, believed to be affiliated to al-Qaida network in Iraq, attacked their checkpoint at a village some 35 km northeast of Baquba, the source said.

The Awakening Council group, also known as Sons of Iraq, consists of armed groups, including some powerful anti-U.S. Sunni insurgent groups, who turned their rifles against al-Qaida after the latter exercised indiscriminate killings against both Shiite and Sunni communities.

Also in the province, an Iraqi army and police force shot dead Abu Jihad, a suspected al-Qaida leader, when they raided his safe house at the village of Makheisah, some 30 km northeast of Baquba, the source said.

Abu Jihad is believed to have been involved in many attacks against Iraqi military patrols in Diyala province, he added.

In addition, two soldiers were wounded when gunmen attacked their checkpoint in the same village, he said.

In Salahudin province, a policeman was killed when a sticky bomb attached to his car detonated while he was driving in north of the provincial capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, a provincial police source anonymously told Xinhua.

Violence is still common in the Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease since its peak in 2006 and 2007, when the country was engulfed in sectarian killings.

from XINHUA
2013-03-26 00:17:33

Read More

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

Read More

France Confirms Death of al-Qaida Commander Abou Zeid

This image released on December 25, 2012 by Sahara Media, shows one of the leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abdelhamid Abou Zeid in an undisclosed place.

France says it can confirm with certainty that Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, a top commander in al-Qaida's North African branch, was killed in Mali last month.

The office of French President Francois Hollande issued a statement Saturday confirming Abou Zeid's death in an offensive by French troops in northern Mali's Adrar des Ifoghas mountains.

French officials reported weeks ago that Abou Zeid was "probably" dead but were waiting for DNA tests to verify.

Earlier this month, the nation of Chad had said its troops in northern Mali had killed Abou Zeid, a leader of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb linked to the kidnapping and killing of at least two Westerners.

France began its campaign in Mali on January 11, as al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants who controlled the north began moving toward the capital, Bamako. President Hollande has said France plans to begin pulling its troops out of northern Mali in April.

Analysts warn a French withdrawal could leave northern Mali vulnerable to a renewed militant takeover. The Malian army was unable to fight the militants on its own, and a multi-nation African force being assembled needs more training and equipment to protect Malian towns.

from VOA News
March 23, 2013

Related articles

• France confirms death of senior AQIM commander Abou Zeid (longwarjournal.org)
• France Confirms Death of al-Qaida Commander Abou Zeid (voanews.com)

Read More

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

Read More

10 al-Qaida members captured in southern Yemen

Map of Yemen showing Abyan governorate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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 XINHUA
2013-03-11 06:41:52

Read More

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

Read More

3 al-Qaida members escape from prison in southern Yemen

Map of Yemen showing Abyan governorate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ADEN, Yemen, March 6 (Xinhua) -- At least three members of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch escaped from an intelligence jail in the southern province of Abyan on Wednesday evening, a security official told Xinhua.

Three al-Qaida inmates escaped from the military intelligence jail in Mudiyah town in Abyan province, after a short shootout with guards at the prison, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"An armed squad of terrorists attacked security guards at the main gate of Mudiyah prison, sparking a short shootout in the area, " the security source said, adding that the three al-Qaida inmates staged the getaway amid the clashes.

A local intelligence source confirmed Wednesday's prison escape but declined to give more details.

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 been control of 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
2013-03-07 02:06:50

Read More

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

Read More

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

Related articles

• Suicide car bomber hits Yemen militia, kills 12 (journalstar.com)
• Car bomb in Yemen kills at least 13 (en.trend.az)
• Suicide car bomber hits Yemen militia, kills 12 (thestate.com)

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More