Asia

Home page

Asia

Anti-Qaida militiamen foil terrorist attack in southern Yemen

10 November 2012 02:24 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A group of pro-government militiamen thwarted a planned terrorist attack by al-Qaida militants in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan on Friday, a security official told Xinhua, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The anti-Qaida militiamen managed to foil a planned suicide operation, capturing two suicide bombers in the eastern entrance of Luader town in Abyan province, the local security official said, requesting anonymity.

"Two al-Qaida suicide bombers were captured. They may have been planning to attack a key checkpoint manned by pro-government militiamen near Luader," the security source said.

"Suicide vests lined with explosives were found in their possession," he added.

The pro-government militiamen are still searching for al-Qaida suspects who were involved in the plot, according to the official.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot has exploited Yemen’s year- long security vacuum during protests against the long-time ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh and controlled several southern cities for more than one year before they were driven out by a U.S.-backed army offensive.

On June 20, Yemen’s military officials announced seizing al- Qaida’s last bastion in the country’s troubled south following the military offensive. However, local military and anti-terrorism experts said the Yemeni al-Qaida branch remained a major threat to the impoverished Arab country.