Yemen forces control more towns in Abyan

By Fatik al-Rodaini

SANA'A, May 18, 2012- Yemeni military and security officials said Yemeni troops regained control of the city of Jaar in Abyan province, forcing al-Qaeda militants to flee the city.

''Several Yemeni brigades entered the city of Jaar from the west backed by local tribesmen  simultaneously with heavy artillery shelling, regaining control of the whole city from the group,'' Aden online reported Friday.

Meanwhile, Yemen's Defense Ministry claimed on Friday night the death of two al-Qaeda leaders killed in an ambush conducted by tribal figures backing the Yemeni forces in the Yemeni city of Ba Tiss, south Yemen.

"Ahmed Abdu Nabi and Nader al-Shadadi were killed and score others were wounded during an ambush in Yemen's southern province of Abyan,'' 26 September reported on Friday.

Furthermore, Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamic group linked to al-Qaeda militants said Friday in a statement posted on the Internet that their withdrawal from the whole city of Lawder in the province of Abyan is a tactic, denying at the same time the death of 12 people in Mothlth al-Kahraba district, saying they are not al-Qaeda militants.

"Our withdrawal from the whole city of Lawder is a tactic and we carried out our withdrawal without any loses in our fighters or equipment, adding the dead bodies were found by tribal fighters in Mothlth al-Kahraba district are not belonged to al-Qaeda group," the statement read.