Official says al-Qaida guilty of Yemen attack
Source: Agencies |
January 26, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AL-QAIDA militants, not separatists, attacked a checkpoint and killed three soldiers on Sunday, a Yemen security official said yesterday.
"The security apparatus believes al-Qaida was behind the killing of the three soldiers," the official said.
"Five tribal leaders in Shabwa are negotiating with al-Qaida members to give themselves up," he said, referring to tribal sheikhs in Shabwa province mediating between the government and Islamist militants in the area.
A government official had previously said southern separatists carried out the raid in Shabwa, home to the United States-Yemeni Internet preacher Anwar al-Awlaki and a focal point in Yemen's crackdown on a resurgent al-Qaida.
Sanaa declared war on al-Qaida early this month, not long after the terror group's Yemen-based wing said it was behind a botched bomb attack on a US-bound plane on December 25.
Around 30 suspected al-Qaida militants have been killed recently, Interior Minister Muttahar al-Masri was quoted as saying on the ministry Website, without giving further details.
Yemeni authorities said in December that 60 al-Qaida members had been killed in air strikes and security sweeps. It also said it had killed some top regional leaders including Awlaki.
None of these deaths have been confirmed. Al-Qaida later denied those leaders had been killed.
The Yemeni authorities are also fighting a Shiite insurgency and face growing separatist unrest in the south. Western powers and Saudi Arabia fear that Yemen will become a failed state.
"The security apparatus believes al-Qaida was behind the killing of the three soldiers," the official said.
"Five tribal leaders in Shabwa are negotiating with al-Qaida members to give themselves up," he said, referring to tribal sheikhs in Shabwa province mediating between the government and Islamist militants in the area.
A government official had previously said southern separatists carried out the raid in Shabwa, home to the United States-Yemeni Internet preacher Anwar al-Awlaki and a focal point in Yemen's crackdown on a resurgent al-Qaida.
Sanaa declared war on al-Qaida early this month, not long after the terror group's Yemen-based wing said it was behind a botched bomb attack on a US-bound plane on December 25.
Around 30 suspected al-Qaida militants have been killed recently, Interior Minister Muttahar al-Masri was quoted as saying on the ministry Website, without giving further details.
Yemeni authorities said in December that 60 al-Qaida members had been killed in air strikes and security sweeps. It also said it had killed some top regional leaders including Awlaki.
None of these deaths have been confirmed. Al-Qaida later denied those leaders had been killed.
The Yemeni authorities are also fighting a Shiite insurgency and face growing separatist unrest in the south. Western powers and Saudi Arabia fear that Yemen will become a failed state.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
