Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

6 Yemeni Soldiers Killed in Fighting Against Al-Qaeda Fighters

May 9, 2014

6 soldiers killed in ambush by militants in Yemen

English.news.cn   2014-05-09 20:11:36

ADEN, Yemen, May 9, 2014 (Xinhua) --

Six Yemeni soldiers were killed and three others wounded when armed men ambushed government troops in Yemen's southeastern province of al-Bayda on Friday, a military official told Xinhua.

"Government troops of the 26th Armored Brigade were on their way to provide reinforcement to a military checkpoint in central al-Bayda province when their convoy was waylaid and ambushed by suspected al-Qaida attackers in the region," the local military official said, requesting anonymity.

He said a firefight erupted between the militants and the government soldiers and lasted for about an hour, leaving about six soldiers killed and three others injured on the spot.

A provincial security officer said the incident could be considered as a "retaliatory action" by the al-Qaida gunmen against the army forces who have been conducting intensified military operations against their hideouts in the south.

The Yemeni armed forces backed by mechanized battalions, air force and special forces have killed, wounded and captured dozens of local and foreign suspected al-Qaida militants during the offensive that started two weeks ago.

The bodies of suspected foreign fighters from Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Russia's Chechnya and other nations have been discovered among the dead, local authorities said.

Commanders of the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have vowed to hit back.

Territories in Azzan and Mahfad, two of AQAP's main strongholds, have also been recaptured by the army troops.

The AQAP, known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009. It is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

Editor: xuxin

Tribal groups attempt to broker peace in Abyan, Shabwa

Yemen Times, 8 May 2014

Ali Saeed (author),

 Ali Ibrahim Al-Moshki (author)

Tribal sheikhs in Abyan and Shabwa say they want to mediate between the army and militants‭. ‬The army says it will not negotiate with Al-Qaeda and will eliminate them‭ "at any cost"‭.
SANA'A, May 6—Separate tribal groups are attempting to broker peace between the military and alleged Al-Qaeda militants in Abyan and Shabwa governorates after a week of fighting.

Tribal sheikhs from the Bakazim tribe in Abyan governorate told the Yemen Times on Tuesday that they are seeking to mediate between the army and Al-Qaeda militants to bring an end to the fighting.

The tribe is located in the Al-Mahfad district, which has been the scene of heavy fighting over the last few days. The tribe says it is seeking to avoid further civilian deaths and wants the military to evacuate the area.

The Defense Ministry's news site on Tuesday quoted an anonymous military source who said that the security forces would not negotiate with Al-Qaeda under any circumstances.

"There is no choice for Yemen but to eliminate terrorists from the country,” the source said.

Saleh Al-Kazimi, a tribal sheikh from Al-Mahfad, told the Yemen Times that the tribe held a meeting on Monday and agreed to offer itself as a mediator between the army and Al-Qaeda.

“Although we support the army in its fight against Al-Qaeda militants, we want to stop this war because it will destroy the district. We want to avoid the destruction,” said Al-Kazimi.

“Some Al-Qaeda militants belong to Al-Mahfad district. We want them to hand over their weapons, repent, and to live their lives like other citizens. We, the sheikhs, decided to force our tribesmen who are engaged in the fighting to give up their weapons. We have assured them that they will not be killed or handed over to the government,” Al-Kazimi added.

During the meeting it was decided that ten sheikhs would negotiate with other tribal leaders who are lending support to Al-Qaeda, while four other sheikhs have been assigned to negotiate with the leadership of the Fourth Military Region as a precursor to mediation efforts, Al-Kazimi said.

A high-ranking officer from the Fourth Military Region told the Yemen Times that the force has not yet met with the sheikhs but that they would reject mediation efforts.

Residents voiced varying  views on the possibility of mediation. Some expressed concern that mediation would give militants an opportunity to re-group in a different area.

In Shabwa governorate, which neighbors Abyan, local tribal leaders on Tuesday evening agreed on a peace plan that would suspend confrontations in the area, Sheikh Hamid Al-Karibi, a prominent local leader in Shabwa, told the Yemen Times.

The plan would see local tribesmen helping security forces deploy in the Maifa district of Shabwa, while Al-Qaeda militants in the district would cease attacks on the military, surrender their heavier weapons, and turn in foreign fighters, according to Al-Karibi.

Armed forces in Shabwa could not be reached for comment on the proposed agreement.

Saeed Ubaid Al-Jimhi, chairman of the Al-Jemhi Studies Center that has conducted research on Al-Qaeda in Yemen, told the Yemen Times that "tribes in the war zone are affected negatively by the fighting in their areas and that is why they [tribesmen] propose mediation."

"They want Al-Qaeda militants out of their areas," he said.

He doubted that Al-Qaeda would turn in its foreign fighters to the Yemeni army or hand over weapons.

The army entered Jawl Raida city, the capital of Maifa district, on Wednesday morning,  according to Salim Al-Sayel, a journalist in Shabwa.

The situation has been relatively calm since Tuesday evening  after a week of clashes between the army and the militants, said one soldier who is taking part in the fighting in Shabwa.

The solider told the Yemen Times that 13 troops were killed in an ambush late last week.

"We do not know how many militants were killed because when they attack us, we fire back and they flee," said the soldier, who requested anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the press.  

Civilians in Jawl Raida and areas near the conflict zone have already fled their homes to Ataq city, Al-Sayel said.

Shabwa Alhdath, a local news website, on Sunday quoted Heilf Al-Fadhool of the Rights and Freedoms group, a Yemeni NGO, as saying "the army and the armed groups in some areas [of Shabwa] use citizens as human shields and they [citizens] are vulnerable to blockade and displacement."

"The army must exercise the maximum level of caution when civilians are in a war zone," the organization stressed.

According to Al-Sayel, the conflict has resulted in food shortages and massive price hikes.

Fahd Ahmed Ali, a soldier in the Fourth Military Region which is operating in Abyan, said General Mahmoud Al-Subaihi, the commander of the sector, gave Al-Qaeda militants a 48-hour grace period commencing on Monday evening to hand over their weapons. According to Ali, the general warned that the military would enter the Dhaiqa valley, where some militants have stationed themselves, if the order was not complied with.  

On Wednesday, the state-run Saba new agency reported that the army had entered Dhaiqa valley.

The Defense Ministry also said Al-Qaeda militants blew-up a government compound in Al-Mahfad on Tuesday. The Yemen Times could not independently verify the claim.

The military, along with the Popular Committees, began the offensive on militants in Abyan and Shabwa on April 29. The fighting has left thousands displaced and scores dead on both sides.