Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Yemeni army arrests 5 al-Qaida members over suicide bombing in Abyan

ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni army forces on Monday arrested five al-Qaida members who are linked to a deadly suicide bombing that killed more than 46 pro-government tribesmen two days ago in southern province Abyan , a government official told Xinhua.

The army forces managed to arrest five al-Qaida members who were accused of masterminding Saturday's suicide bombing at a funeral in Jaar town in Abyan province, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"Soldiers of the armed forces and tribal militiamen stormed a house in Jaar based on intelligence tips and arrested the criminals," the government official said.

The soldiers also seized heavy weapons and ammunition including assault rifles, according to the official.

On Saturday night, an al-Qaida suicide bomber detonated his concealed explosive belt at a funeral and killed pro-government tribesmen who supported the army in its campaign against al-Qaida in Abyan province earlier this year.

The suicide attack left more than 46 tribesmen killed and 48 others injured, according to the country's Defense Ministry.

Backed by the United States, the Yemeni government waged a month-long intensive offensive in May against hundreds of al-Qaida militants, driving them out of strongholds they had controlled for nearly a year.

Combating al-Qaida militants in the restive south is one of the challenges confronting Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has promised to restore security and uproot the country's branch of al-Qaida.

from XINHUA
2012-08-07 01:37:32

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