President Hadi meets FBI chief

By Fatik al-Rodaini

SANA'A, April 24, 2012- Yemen’s President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi met on Tuesday with FBI chief Robert Mueller, who stressed the continued support of the US along with the international community to achieve the stability in Yemen during solving the Yemen crisis based on the Gulf initiative and its implementation.

The FBI chief promised that the United States would continue to support Yemen "with full force" in all respects. "US will provide the possible assistance in various aspects bilaterally with the international community to achieve the stability in Yemen," Mueller said.

During the meeting President Hadi praised the great interest of the United States' administration in supporting Yemen in difficult circumstances securing the country from the civil war.

President Hadi reviewed with the FBI chief what really have been achieved on the ground based on the GCC initiative, saying "We are arranging now for convening the national dialogue that would include all political parties, cultural and social sides in Yemen, without exception or red lines."

The meeting also discussed counterterrorism efforts against al-Qaeda as well as the possible means to strengthen the joint efforts to defeat the insurgents.

Meanwhile, Yemen's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the total number of militants killed in the restive southern Abyan province over the past two days in the latest bout of fighting at 52.

The ministry said that the Yemeni army seized some government offices from militants as they pushed deep inside the provincial capital of Zinjibar.

In a statement posted on the internet by Ansar al-Sharia, a group linked to al-Qaeda that its fighters has blocked the army advance, and challenged the authorities to issue "just one recent photograph showing troops inside the city of Zinjibar".

Also on Tuesday, an officer in Yemen's southern province of Lahej escaped an assassination attempt conducted by unknown men.

A security source said that Abdul Qader al-Shami, the head of security intelligence in Lahej was severely injured along with two of his bodyguards in a bomb blast.

The source stated that a bomb had been attached to his car and it exploded when he started the engine.

Furthermore, in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, where continued clashes between Yemeni troops and al-Qaeda militants, at least ten fighters linked to al-Qaeda were killed on Tuesday evening in an ambush conducted by tribesmen there.

Yemen's Defense Ministry said that tribesmen have ambushed the terrorist militants in Lawder district of Abyan province at eight-thirty pm.

The source mentioned that others were wounded along with the killed.