War against Al Qaeda is open, official source

Ashwaq Arrabyee, 15/1/2010

The war against Al Qaeda elements is open whenever or wherever they are, a security official source said Thursday.

The army 26 September website quoted the security official source as saying that Yemen is determined to rid the country of AlQaeda and the military operations will intensively continue against Al Qaeda militants.

The security source warned the citizen from hiding Al Qaeda militants and urged them to cooperate with the security forces.

The warning comes after the leader of AlQaeda in Shabwa Abdullah Al Mehdhar was killed late Tuesday in clashes with the security forces in Al Houta area in Shabwa province, east of the capital Sana'a.

Al Mehdhar was leading and training some AlQaeda militants in his house and in Mayfa'h Mountains, the sources said.

The security forces found various weapons, one RBJ launcher and grenades in addition to clothes and wigs used to disguise in the house, the sources said.

The sources added there were about 25 of AlQaeda militants in the house but they escaped to Mayfa'h Mountains. The security forces are still pursuing them.

In the clashes, the security forces arrested four Al Qaeda militants.
Two soldiers were killed and four others injured in an ambush in Haban district while they were in the way to reinforce the security forces surrounding the house of Al Qaeda leader Al-Mehdhar.