JAAR, Yemen (Reuters) - Yemen on Wednesday pressed ahead with a U.S.-backed
offensive to drive al Qaeda-linked insurgents from the country's south, a
day after the army notched up its biggest victory in more than a year by
recapturing two strategic cities.
Three airstrikes targeted areas held by militants inside and outside of the
town of Azzan, killing at least 30 fighters and wounding dozens more,
Colonel Ahmed al-Maqdashi, head of security in Shabwa province, said in
statement posted on the Defence Ministry's website.
The attacks appeared to underscore the army's determination to press home
its advantage after recapturing the cities of Jaar and Zinjibar on Tuesday,
forcing hundreds of Islamist fighters to flee.
It was not immediately clear if Wednesday's strikes were carried out by
Yemeni warplanes or U.S. drones. One local official in Azzan said at least
one strike was by a drone.
Washington has repeatedly used drones to target Yemeni militants in order to
try to contain a threat it has been urging the government to take more
seriously.
Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), an offshoot of al Qaeda in
Yemen, said in a statement that U.S. drones had launched five attacks in
Azzan on Wednesday morning. It denied any of its fighters had been killed or
wounded.
The recapture of Jaar and Zinjibar was the army's most significant victory
against the militants in more than a year of political turmoil that has
taken Yemen to the brink of civil war and fuelled fears about al Qaeda's
presence in a country that is next door to Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil
exporter.
Some residents of the two wrecked cities began to return to their homes on
Wednesday.
Emboldened by waning government control over the impoverished country during
last year's popular protests that ousted former President Ali Abdullah
Saleh, militants seized Jaar in March 2011, before occupying Zinjibar and
the coastal town of Shaqra.
U.S. officials say that President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi - who came to power
in February after Saleh signed a power transfer deal brokered by the Gulf
states - is more cooperative in the fight against Islamist militancy than
his predecessor.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is believed to be the most active
branch of the global network and has plotted a number of botched attempts
against U.S. targets.
(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf; Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by
Andrew Osborn)
C Thomson Reuters 2012 All rights reserved
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Received on Wed Jun 13 2012 - 09:21:22 EDT
