Yemen tightens security to foil al-Qaeda suicide attacks

Mohammed al-Kibsi

Mar 12, 2012

The Yemeni ministry of interior announced on Monday of tightening security measures after uncovering plans for al-Qaeda to launch suicide attacks targeting vital facilities in Sana’a and other provinces.

A statement issued by the ministry of interior said that al-Qaeda plans to use car bombs for attacking Yemeni and foreign facilities in different parts of the country, particularly in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen.

Al-Qaeda had sat up a 10 days ultimatum for the Yemeni army to withdraw its forces from Abyan province otherwise al-Qaeda would implement the Flooding River Operation.

Sources affirmed that al-Qaeda had deployed over 400 fighters and suicide bombers to Sana’a.

The Yemeni authorities had announced that over 300 Somali Shabab had entered the country to support al-Qaeda.

They also announced of capturing 4 of the Somali Shabab in Taiz province. 

Over 36 al-Qaeda militants were killed in air strikes launched by Yemeni air force and US drones on Friday night, said local and official sources from al-Baidha province.

The governor of al-Baidha affirmed that over 36 al-Qaeda militants were killed in the air strikes however he did not mention whther the strikes were launched by Yemeni airforce or by US drones.

Local sources from al-Baidha and Abyan provinces said that US drones were heard minutes before the raid. 

Air strikes on suspected positions of al Qaeda-linked fighters in southern Yemen killed several militants, a Yemeni military official said on Saturday.

Other local sources said that fighter planes late on Friday raided western outskirts of al-Baidha town, where the Ansar al-Sharia militants have been converging and making new hide outs.

A military official source said that the attack targeted a gathering of al Qaeda elements and a number of them were killed.

Al Arabiya television said Friday's raid was believed to have been carried out by U.S. drones, but there has been no immediate confirmation of this.

The United States has repeatedly used drones in different parts of Yemen to attack militants of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The air raids came several days after al-Qaeda attacked Yemeni military positions in Dawfas valley in Abyan province, killing over 120 soldiers and arresting dozens of them.