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Four Al-Qaeda Fighters Killed as Army Starts
All-Out Attack in Al-Huta
Written By: Nasser Arrabyee
Article Date: Sep 25,
2010 - 4:19:10 PM
At least four al-Qaeda fighters were killed and five
others arrested in an attack by the Yemeni army outside of
the town of Al Huta in the southern province of Shabwa,
tribal and security sources said on Thursday. The
resistance was strong and dozens of
soldiers were killed and injured, the sources said.
The sources said that the army started an all out
offensive on the town of Al Huta on Thursday afternoon
after close to the entire population fled to the
neighboring areas to escape the fighting.
“
Almost everyone is out now, and the army has started
the attack the Al Qaeda fighters,” said Abu Ahmed,
who fled Al Huta with 30 members of his family and his
brother’s family to the area of Ezan, about 9km away from
Al Huta.
“Al Qaeda tried to prevent us and beat us
to make us stay with them to use us as human shields
but we all refused and got out, but now we need help,”
said Abu Ahmed over phone from Ezan.
“We received
enough assistance for 200 families, but there are about
3000 displaced families so we need much more
assistance,” said Abu Ahmed, who refused to give his
full name for security reasons. Al-Qaeda uses rifles and
RPGs and snipers, he said.
Meanwhile, the
tribal sheikh Abdul Bari Al Mehdhar said Thursday that he
and all people of Al Huta condemned the terrorist acts of
AlQaeda. “We tried to negotiate with them but they refused
and chose the violence, ” said Sheikh Al Mehdhar, the
brother of Abdullah Al Mehdhar, the alleged Al Qaeda
leader in Al Huta who was killed in January this year in
security operation.
Sheikh Abdul Bari Al
Mehdhar, who is loyal to the government, said there were
only eight al-Qaeda fighters who are from Al Huta,
and that the others are from outside the town. He
said the leader of the group is called Abdul Azeez Al
Mualem.
According to local sources, about 100
militants are fighting the army now, including Saudis and
Somalis.
Thousands Flee as Shabwa Becomes
Al-Qaeda Hub
Written By: Shuaib M. al-Mosawa
Article Date: Sep
22, 2010 - 4:14:50 PM
Approximately 9,000 civilians are fleeing the al-Huta
area of Maifa’ah district in Shabwa province following
recent clashes between alleged al-Qaeda affiliates and
government troops, Colonel Mansur Hadi, Security Director
of Maifa’ah district told the Yemen Observer.
Security is facilitating the exodus of these civilians.
“There seems to be no other solution but to cleanse the
town of al-Huta of al-Qaeda elements,” Hadi said. He
explained that because al-Qaeda is using civilians as
human shields, security is facilitating the removal of
civilians from the district so that they can better target
al-Qaeda operatives.
Members of al-Qaeda have
recently moved from Lawdar district, Abyan province and
Abeida district, Marib province to the al-Huta area of
Shabwa, targeting both civilians and security there, said
Hadi. He estimated that there are about 50 to 60 al-Qaeda
members there. Hadi dismissed the contention that the
Southern Movement is collaborating with al-Qaeda in Shabwa.
From their new base in Shabwa, these al-Qaeda members
have been causing flare-ups. A group of alleged
al-Qaeda militants targeted a security checkpoint Thursday
in al-Huta area, killing three soldiers and injuring two
others. The government troops retaliated by killing three
alleged al-Qaeda members on Sunday.
Government
troops have been battling alleged al-Qaeda affiliates
since August in Lawdar district, where fighting left
dozens dead from both sides.
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