Yemen unrest: Eleven killed in army checkpoint attack

April 10, 2012

At least eight soldiers and three militants have been killed in an attack by militants on an army checkpoint in central Yemen, officials say.

Gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons on the checkpoint in Maarib province, about 300km (186 miles) east of the capital Sanaa, just after dawn.

Several soldiers were also hurt in the attack, which was blamed on al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, more than 120 people are now said to have been killed in 48 hours of fighting in the province of Abyan.

The death toll includes more than 100 militants, 14 soldiers and eight tribesmen who were part of a local committee formed to fight al-Qaeda.

The clashes are centred on the town of Lawdar, which sources say is being besieged by militants from groups linked to al-Qaeda. On Monday, a nearby army barracks was attacked by members of Ansar al-Sharia.

The group later claimed it had captured a large cache of weapons and ammunition, including four tanks and anti-aircraft guns during the fighting.

On Tuesday warplanes bombed two sites held by the militants west of Lawdar, destroying one of the tanks, residents told the Reuters news agency. Six militants and two pro-government tribesmen died in the clashes.

Islamist militants seized large amounts of territory in Abyan during the political turmoil that led to President Ali Abdullah Saleh handing over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, in November.

Troops have suffered major losses trying to push them out.

Dozens of al-Qaeda militants killed in Yemen

SANA'A, April 09 (Saba) - An official source said on Monday that more than 40 al-Qaeda militants were killed in clashes with the military forces in Lawder city, Abyan governorate.

The source said that the military forces drove the militants off the city after they tried to storm Lauder.

It added that the forces are currently tracking those elements of the terrorist al-Qaeda.

Premier flies to Qatar

SANA'A, April 09 (Saba) - Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa headed on Monday for Qatar on an official visit.

During the visit, the Premier will hold talks with the Qatari senior officials over the situation on the national arena and the achieved steps of the transitional period's requirements.

The talks will also touched on the required development and economic aid to Yemen to tackle the last year crisis's aftermaths.

Soldier killed and two others wounded in Yemen's Aden

By Fatik al-Rodaini

SANA'A, April 9, 2012- A soldier was killed on Monday in Yemen's southern sea port of Aden by armed men belonging to Southern Movement.

Eyewitnesses said that a soldier was killed immediately when armed men attacked him at Caltex checkpoint.

According to private sources, armed men believed to be southern movement militants blocked roads and closed schools in several districts in an attempt to impose disobedience situation in the province.

"The fire continued for a long time by militants in order to spread fears amongst unarmed people," a resident in Al-Mansora district said.

In a separate accident, two soldiers were wounded on Monday morning in Khor Makser district of Aden during an attack by unknown gunmen on a security checkpoint.

Presidential decrees in the next two days

By Fatik al-Rodaini

SANA'A, April 9, 2012 - An informed source revealed that President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi would issue significant decrees aiming to bring real reforms in the country.

A Yemeni official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the expected decisions would include transferring of a military and civilian personal to new positions as part of the ongoing political transition in Yemen.

The decisions would include changes in security and army apparatuses along with transferring in positions of governors.

Last Friday President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi fired several old-regime figures and relatives of the former leader in a major shake-up of the country's military, a move meant to show he was making good on promises of reforms in the wake of his predecessor's ouster.

A statement by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said four governors and more than a dozen military generals were sacked "to make way for new officials."

The shake-up came against the backdrop of growing concerns that Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was using the loyalists to further destabilize the turmoil-wracked country. The move also came as hundreds of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets Friday demanding that Hadi purge the military of Saleh's relatives.

Among those sacked were some of Saleh's relatives, including his half brother who was the Air Force commander, and his nephew, who headed the presidential guard. In his more than 30 years as president, Saleh had stacked key security posts with relatives and loyalists.

Hadi also sacked a brother-in-law to Saleh's daughter who had headed a lucrative oil products distribution company, which was seen as an arm of the former president's vast economic wealth.

Saleh had clung to office during last year's uprising against his rule until he eventually signed a U.S.-backed, Gulf-brokered power transfer deal and handed power over to Hadi, his deputy at the time. The deal allowed Saleh to remain as head of the ruling party and granted him immunity from prosecution in return for leaving the presidency.

The United States welcomed President Abdo Rabo Mansour Hadi's announcement of civilian and military personnel transfers as part of the ongoing political transition in Yemen.

Yemen: 23 killed in clashes with al-Qaida fighters

AP| Apr 9, 2012

SANAA, YEMEN: Al-Qaida-linked militants staged a dawn attack on Monday on a Yemeni army post in the south setting off clashes that left 18 militants and five soldiers dead, army officials said.

The attack demonstrates how al-Qaida's branch in Yemen has exploited the political and security turmoil following the country's yearlong uprising, managing to take control of large swaths of land in the south and staging increasingly bold attacks on the military.

The officials said the militants attacked an army position in the town of Lawder in Abyan province, where al-Qaida fighters are very active.

They said the dead included 18 militants and five soldiers, including a colonel. Three soldiers were wounded.

Members of armed popular anti-al-Qaida committees joined the fighting alongside the soldiers. The committees are formed by civilians, mainly from anti-al-Qaida tribes, who oppose the terror group.

A member of one of the committees, Abdullah Amer, said the militants tried to enter Lawder at dawn. Lawder is a strategic town northeast of Zinjibar in Abyan province where al-Qaida fighters still control some areas.

He said fierce fighting raged for hours before the militants were forced to retreat.

The officials said a nearby army brigade sent reinforcements to the army post in Lawder to back up the soldiers during the fire fight.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military rules, said three militants were also killed in government heavy shelling of the town of Jaar, near Zinjibar, which is still under the militant's control.

Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the movement's most dangerous offshoots.

Al-Qaida and other militant groups have taken advantage of Yemen's yearlong political turmoil to try to expand their toehold in the country's south and have captured several key cities and towns.

Yemen's uprising, inspired by Arab revolts elsewhere, forced longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of office in February. His successor, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, was later rubber-stamped as president in a nationwide vote. Hadi has vowed to fight al-Qaida while restructuring the armed forces, in which Saleh's loyalists and family members still hold key posts.

Hadi, in his attempt to shake-up the military, fired key commanders and relatives of Saleh including the ex-president's half brother, air force commander Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar. The air force commander initially defied the order and seized control of the airport in the capital of Sanaa on Saturday. Al-Ahmar holed himself up in his office before abruptly leaving Sunday as the airport was reopened.