Suicide attack kills troops in southern Yemen
At least eight soldiers are killed and 10 others injured in an army checkpoint
attack in southern town of Radda.
Last Modified: 28 Jan 2013 14:39
A suicide car bomber has targeted an army checkpoint in southern Yemen, killing
at least eight soldiers and wounding 10 others, local officials said.
Monday's attack in the town of Radda was likely a retaliatory move by al-Qaeda
fighters after Yemeni forces earlier in the day shelled gunmen, who Sanaa is
accusing of holding three Western hostages in the southern province of
al-Bayda, one of the officials said.
The move came after days of unsuccessful mediation efforts by local tribal
leaders, the websites Mareb Press and Al-Masdar Online reported.
For more on Yemen, visit our Spotlight page
The leaders had sought to persuade tribal sheikh Abdel-Ilah al-Dhahab to
release two Finns and an Austrian kidnapped in the capital Sanaa in December
and to expel al-Qaeda fighters that the authorities accused him of sheltering.
Al-Dhahab, whose brother Abdel-Raouf has been accused of being a leader of
al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, had denied that the three Westerners were
being held in his mountain stronghold near Radaa town.
He had also demanded that the government end air raids against suspected
fighters, Mareb Press reported.
Fighters haven
Army and special force units sent from Sanaa arrived in Radaa last week in
preparation for the move against the suspected fighters.
Fighters linked to al-Qaeda controlled parts of southern Abyan and Shabwa
provinces for about a year until they were expelled in a military campaign in
mid-2012.
Since then they are thought to be sheltering in remote areas of central and
eastern Yemen.
Air raids, mainly carried out by US drones, have repeatedly targeted suspected
fighters in al-Baida and other areas.
The strikes have increased in frequency in recent weeks, with seven apparent
drone strikes recorded since January 19, according to the Britain-based Bureau
of Investigative Journalism, which tracks the raids.
President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi has repeatedly expressed his determination to
eliminate al-Qaeda and has said that drone strikes take place with the Yemeni
government's approval, despite protests at civilian casualties.
Source:
Agencies
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