By Nasser Arrabyee,01/04/2012
Two Al Qaeda cells are preparing to implement terrorist operations against senior military and security officials and government and western interests in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, security sources expected on Sunday.
Al Qaeda wants to retaliate to the airstrikes recently implemented by American and Yemenis planes especially the most recent one which killed four senior leaders including an exclusives expert last Friday in Azzan, Shabwah province.
Immediately after this airstrike, ay least four terrorist operations were implemented by Al Qaeda in Shabwah , Lahj, Sayoun and Mukalla, in which more than 37 soldiers were killed in two days.
While terrorist attacks increased in Yemen, the US Ambassodor in Sanaa Gerald Feiestein repeatedly accused the spiritual leader of the largest Islamist party, extremist cleric Abdul Majid Al Zandani of supporting terrorism.
However, Al Zandani's party, Islah, defended his leader in an officials statement on Sunday April 1st, 2012, saying the accusations were based on wrong information given to US administration by the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime.
Last week, Ambassodor Feierstein said in press statements that US and international community are concerned from Al Zandani and his followers and his supporters.
Al Zandani's party, Islah, leads the coalition which rules Yemen now after Saleh is gone.
The coalition, locally known as Joint Meeting Parties (JMPs), includes four other main parties , Socialists and Nasserites ( Arab-pan nationalists), two small Islamic Shiite parties.
Some leaders of Islah party and majority of it's members always say that Al Qaeda is not existing at all in Yemen and it is only "President" Saleh who makes it to get money from America and the west.
This position has not changed after Saleh is gone from the power. Some leaders and members of Islah say clearly in all meetings and arguments: there are people who claim to be Al Qaeda but they are in fact only working with Ali Abdullah Saleh, and there are people who are doing Jihad which is the " essence of Islam", and those must be supported by every Muslim.
Those are not Al Qaeda but they are Mujahideen. Those people, who call Al Qaeda Mujahideen,started to demand the new President Abdul Rabu Mansour Hadi to stop any cooperation with the Americans that would violate the "Yemeni sovereignty", in a very obvious reference to the cooperation between Yemen and US to fight terrorism.
Al Qaeda kills seven more soldiers in eastern Yemen, sympathetic tribesmen try to control Sana’a airport.
A total of seven security soldiers were killed by Al Qaeda fighters in the eastern province of Hudhrmout, said military sources early Sunday.
At the dawn of Sunday a group of terrorists infiltrated to the check point of Akabat Jujah which is located between Al Kuten and Shebam, in Sayoun, and they killed all the seven soldiers who were in the check point, the military sources said.
This terrorist attack came only day after 28 troops were killed in a military position between Al Qaeda controlled town of Jaar in the southern province of Abyan and the province of Lahj.
The deputy director of the intelligence in Lahj, Aboud Awadh Fadhl, was injured on Saturday with a bullet in his right leg when two terrorists riding a motor cycle shot him while walking close to his office.
And in Mukalla, the capital of the eastern province of Hudhrmout, senior security official survived an assassination attempt when his car exploded minutes before he came to drive on Saturday. Explosives were planted in the car by terrorists.
Meanwhile, one soldier at least was injured in Arhab area, about 35 km north of the international airport of Sana’a, where tribesmen loyal to the Islamists party, Islah, and loyal to Al Qaeda and the defected general Ali Muhsen, have been trying to control over military camps under the leadership of the son of the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The local sources from Arhab said that the militants use RPG and artillery in their attacks on three camps that have been positioning in the area of Arhab since early 1980s as a strategic place to protect the capital Sana’a in general and the airport in particular.
Al Qaeda has been very active in Arhab and the neighboring areas since 2007. The extremist cleric, Abdul Majid Al Zandani, accused by US and UN of supporting global terrorism, is originally from Arhab, and he ‘as been hiding up there since March last year.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Al Qaeda kills seven more soldiers in eastern Yemen, sympathetic tribesmen try to control Sana’a airport
Al Qaeda kills seven more soldiers in eastern Yemen
By Nasser Arrabyee/01/04/2012
A total of seven security soldiers were killed by Al Qaeda fighters in the eastern province of Hudhrmout, said military sources early Sunday.
At the dawn of Sunday a group of terrorists infiltrated to the check point of Akabat Jujah which is located between Al Kuten and Shebam, in Sayoun, and they killed all the seven soldiers who were in the check point, the military sources said.
This terrorist attack came only day after 28 troops were killed in a military position between Al Qaeda controlled town of Jaar in the southern province of Abyan and the province of Lahj.
The deputy director of the intelligence in Lahj, Aboud Awadh Fadhl, was injured on Saturday with a bullet in his right leg when two terrorists riding a motor cycle shot him while walking close to his office.
And in Mukalla, the capital of the eastern province of Hudhrmout, senior security official survived an assassination attempt when his car exploded minutes before he came to drive on Saturday. Explosives were planted in the car by terrorists.
Meanwhile, one soldier at least was injured in Arhab area, about 35 km north of the international airport of Sana’a, where tribesmen loyal to the Islamists party, Islah, and loyal to Al Qaeda and the defected general Ali Muhsen, have been trying to control over military camps under the leadership of the son of the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The local sources from Arhab said that the militants use RPG and artillery in their attacks on three camps that have been positioning in the area of Arhab since early 1980s as a strategic place to protect the capital Sana’a in general and the airport in particular.
Al Qaeda has been very active in Arhab and the neighboring areas since 2007. The extremist cleric, Abdul Majid Al Zandani, accused by US and UN of supporting global terrorism, is originally from Arhab, and he ‘as been hiding up there since March last year.
By Nasser Arrabyee/01/04/2012
A total of seven security soldiers were killed by Al Qaeda fighters in the eastern province of Hudhrmout, said military sources early Sunday.
At the dawn of Sunday a group of terrorists infiltrated to the check point of Akabat Jujah which is located between Al Kuten and Shebam, in Sayoun, and they killed all the seven soldiers who were in the check point, the military sources said.
This terrorist attack came only day after 28 troops were killed in a military position between Al Qaeda controlled town of Jaar in the southern province of Abyan and the province of Lahj.
The deputy director of the intelligence in Lahj, Aboud Awadh Fadhl, was injured on Saturday with a bullet in his right leg when two terrorists riding a motor cycle shot him while walking close to his office.
And in Mukalla, the capital of the eastern province of Hudhrmout, senior security official survived an assassination attempt when his car exploded minutes before he came to drive on Saturday. Explosives were planted in the car by terrorists.
Meanwhile, one soldier at least was injured in Arhab area, about 35 km north of the international airport of Sana’a, where tribesmen loyal to the Islamists party, Islah, and loyal to Al Qaeda and the defected general Ali Muhsen, have been trying to control over military camps under the leadership of the son of the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The local sources from Arhab said that the militants use RPG and artillery in their attacks on three camps that have been positioning in the area of Arhab since early 1980s as a strategic place to protect the capital Sana’a in general and the airport in particular.
Al Qaeda has been very active in Arhab and the neighboring areas since 2007. The extremist cleric, Abdul Majid Al Zandani, accused by US and UN of supporting global terrorism, is originally from Arhab, and he ‘as been hiding up there since March last year.
Al Qaeda kills seven more soldiers in eastern Yemen
By Nasser Arrabyee/01/04/2012
A total of seven security soldiers were killed by Al Qaeda fighters in the eastern province of Hudhrmout, said military sources early Sunday.
At the dawn of Sunday a group of terrorists infiltrated to the check point of Akabat Jujah which is located between Al Kuten and Shebam, in Sayoun, and they killed all the seven soldiers who were in the check point, the military sources said.
This terrorist attack came only day after 28 troops were killed in a military position between Al Qaeda controlled town of Jaar in the southern province of Abyan and the province of Lahj.
A total of seven security soldiers were killed by Al Qaeda fighters in the eastern province of Hudhrmout, said military sources early Sunday.
At the dawn of Sunday a group of terrorists infiltrated to the check point of Akabat Jujah which is located between Al Kuten and Shebam, in Sayoun, and they killed all the seven soldiers who were in the check point, the military sources said.
This terrorist attack came only day after 28 troops were killed in a military position between Al Qaeda controlled town of Jaar in the southern province of Abyan and the province of Lahj.
Friday, 30 March 2012
AQAP top leader might have been killed in the US drone attack
By Nasser Arrabyee,30/03/2012
Four Al Qaeda operatives were killed in a US drone attack on a vehicle moving between two Al Qaeda strongholds in the southern province of Shabwa, said sources in AlQaeda-controlled hospital late Friday.
"Only four dead bodies arrived here the hospital of Azzan, " the sources said.
" It is very difficult who these bodies are, they are very black."
Other sources said the top leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAQ), Nasser Al Wahaishi, and Saad Bin Atef, and a Syrian expert on making bombs and explosives, were among those who were in the car.
Meanwhile, armed tribesmen loyal to the Islamist party, Islah, are preparing to control the international airport of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, said local sources Friday.
The militants of Islah, in cooperation with Al Qaeda fighters in Arhab area, about 30 km north of Sanaa,started early Friday to attack the 63 brigade (republican guards) with heavy, medium and small size weapons, said the local source from Arhab,
Four armed vehicles with dozens of militants are positioning now in the area of Asda,about 500 meters away from the 63 brigade, in addition to similar other positions from two directions of Assama mountain which overlooks the airport, the sources said.
Arhab is known as a safe haven for Al Qaeda activities since 2007. Mohammed Al Hanek, middle level Al Qaeda leader, was killed earlier this month in Zinjubar, Al Qaeda-declared Islamic Emirate, in the southern province of Abyan.
The tribal leader Mansour Al Hanek, leader of the Islamist party, Islah in Arhab, is the commander of the attacking militants.
Two relatives of Mansour Al Hanek were killed in different special operations against Al Qaeda in Arhab over the last few years.
The cleric Abdul Majid Al Zandani, accused by US and UN of supporting global terrorism, is originally from Arhab, and where has been hiding since March last year.
The sources also said that fighters in Arhab are not only from the local people but also they are coming from Mareb, Al Jawf, Shabwa and other areas in Sanaa province like Nehm.
Earlier this week, an official report submitted to the Parliament warned from the activity of sleeping cells of Al Qaeda in Arhab and Aden and Lahj.
A total of 1150 soldiers were killed and 4350 others injured in different operations against army and security implemented by Al Qaeda and militants of Islah since January 2011, according to official reports.
Al Qaeda kills two tribesmen
Two tribesmen were shot dead by gunmen believed to be Al Qaeda fighters in the southern city of Aden, said eyewitnesses Friday.
Khaled Jamal Mohammed Ashal, Abdullah Ahmed Nasser Ashal were killed immediately after they finished the Friday sermons in Shaikh Othman area, in Aden city, the witnesses said.
The two dead men were working as bodyguards with the vice chairman of the Islamist party in Abyan province, Mohammed Hussein Ashal, brother of the member of parliament Ali Hussein Ashal.
Ashal family has been in conflict with Al Qaeda militants for about two years .
Ashal mobilized tribesmen from Mudia and Lawdar in Abyan province to fight what they always call " Saleh-made" Al Qaeda, in a reference to the former president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The family of Ashal, majority of them in the Islamist party Islah, always argue that there is no Al Qaeda in Yemen, and it is only Saleh who makes it to use it as a scarecrow to get money from the west.
Al Qaeda, a real and increasing threat in Yemen, expanded a lot during the last year's protests.
Four Al Qaeda operatives were killed in a US drone attack on a vehicle moving between two Al Qaeda strongholds in the southern province of Shabwa, said sources in AlQaeda-controlled hospital late Friday.
"Only four dead bodies arrived here the hospital of Azzan, " the sources said.
" It is very difficult who these bodies are, they are very black."
Other sources said the top leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAQ), Nasser Al Wahaishi, and Saad Bin Atef, and a Syrian expert on making bombs and explosives, were among those who were in the car.
Meanwhile, armed tribesmen loyal to the Islamist party, Islah, are preparing to control the international airport of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, said local sources Friday.
The militants of Islah, in cooperation with Al Qaeda fighters in Arhab area, about 30 km north of Sanaa,started early Friday to attack the 63 brigade (republican guards) with heavy, medium and small size weapons, said the local source from Arhab,
Four armed vehicles with dozens of militants are positioning now in the area of Asda,about 500 meters away from the 63 brigade, in addition to similar other positions from two directions of Assama mountain which overlooks the airport, the sources said.
Arhab is known as a safe haven for Al Qaeda activities since 2007. Mohammed Al Hanek, middle level Al Qaeda leader, was killed earlier this month in Zinjubar, Al Qaeda-declared Islamic Emirate, in the southern province of Abyan.
The tribal leader Mansour Al Hanek, leader of the Islamist party, Islah in Arhab, is the commander of the attacking militants.
Two relatives of Mansour Al Hanek were killed in different special operations against Al Qaeda in Arhab over the last few years.
The cleric Abdul Majid Al Zandani, accused by US and UN of supporting global terrorism, is originally from Arhab, and where has been hiding since March last year.
The sources also said that fighters in Arhab are not only from the local people but also they are coming from Mareb, Al Jawf, Shabwa and other areas in Sanaa province like Nehm.
Earlier this week, an official report submitted to the Parliament warned from the activity of sleeping cells of Al Qaeda in Arhab and Aden and Lahj.
A total of 1150 soldiers were killed and 4350 others injured in different operations against army and security implemented by Al Qaeda and militants of Islah since January 2011, according to official reports.
Al Qaeda kills two tribesmen
Two tribesmen were shot dead by gunmen believed to be Al Qaeda fighters in the southern city of Aden, said eyewitnesses Friday.
Khaled Jamal Mohammed Ashal, Abdullah Ahmed Nasser Ashal were killed immediately after they finished the Friday sermons in Shaikh Othman area, in Aden city, the witnesses said.
The two dead men were working as bodyguards with the vice chairman of the Islamist party in Abyan province, Mohammed Hussein Ashal, brother of the member of parliament Ali Hussein Ashal.
Ashal family has been in conflict with Al Qaeda militants for about two years .
Ashal mobilized tribesmen from Mudia and Lawdar in Abyan province to fight what they always call " Saleh-made" Al Qaeda, in a reference to the former president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The family of Ashal, majority of them in the Islamist party Islah, always argue that there is no Al Qaeda in Yemen, and it is only Saleh who makes it to use it as a scarecrow to get money from the west.
Al Qaeda, a real and increasing threat in Yemen, expanded a lot during the last year's protests.
AQAP top leader might have been killed in the US drone attack
By Nasser Arrabyee,30/03/2012
Four Al Qaeda operatives were killed in a US drone attack on a vehicle moving between two Al Qaeda strongholds in the southern province of Shabwa, said sources in AlQaeda-controlled hospital late Friday.
"Only four dead bodies arrived here the hospital of Azzan, " the sources said.
" It is very difficult who these bodies are, they are very black."
Other sources said the top leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAQ), Nasser Al Wahaishi, and Saad Bin Atef, and a Syrian expert on making bombs and explosives, were among those who were in the car.
The top leader of Al Qaeda
Armed tribesmen loyal to the Islamist party, Islah, are preparing to control the international airport of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, said local sources Friday.
The militants of Islah, in cooperation with Al Qaeda fighters in Arhab area, about 30 km north of Sanaa,started early Friday to attack the 63 brigade (republican guards) with heavy, medium and small size weapons, said the local source from Arhab,
Four armed vehicles with dozens of militants are positioning now in the area of Asda,about 500 meters away from the 63 brigade, in addition to similar other positions from two directions of Assama mountain which overlooks the airport, the sources said.
Arhab is known as a safe haven for Al Qaeda activities since 2007. Mohammed Al Hanek, middle level Al Qaeda leader, was killed earlier this month in Zinjubar, Al Qaeda-declared Islamic Emirate, in the southern province of Abyan.
The tribal leader Mansour Al Hanek, leader of the Islamist party, Islah in Arhab, is the commander of the attacking militants.
Two relatives of Mansour Al Hanek were killed in different special operations against Al Qaeda in Arhab over the last few years.
The cleric Abdul Majid Al Zandani, accused by US and UN of supporting global terrorism, is originally from Arhab, and where has been hiding since March last year.
The sources also said that fighters in Arhab are not only from the local people but also they are coming from Mareb, Al Jawf, Shabwa and other areas in Sanaa province like Nehm.
Earlier this week, an official report submitted to the Parliament warned from the activity of sleeping cells of Al Qaeda in Arhab and Aden and Lahj.
A total of 1150 soldiers were killed and 4350 others injured in different operations against army and security implemented by Al Qaeda and militants of Islah since January 2011, according to official reports.
Al Qaeda kills two tribesmen
Two tribesmen were shot dead by gunmen believed to be Al Qaeda fighters in the southern city of Aden, said eyewitnesses Friday.
Khaled Jamal Mohammed Ashal, Abdullah Ahmed Nasser Ashal were killed immediately after they finished the Friday sermons in Shaikh Othman area, in Aden city, the witnesses said.
The two dead men were working as bodyguards with the vice chairman of the Islamist party in Abyan province, Mohammed Hussein Ashal, brother of the member of parliament Ali Hussein Ashal.
Ashal family has been in conflict with Al Qaeda militants for about two years .
Ashal mobilized tribesmen from Mudia and Lawdar in Abyan province to fight what they always call " Saleh-made" Al Qaeda, in a reference to the former president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The family of Ashal, majority of them in the Islamist party Islah, always argue that there is no Al Qaeda in Yemen, and it is only Saleh who makes it to use it as a scarecrow to get money from the west.
Al Qaeda, a real and increasing threat in Yemen, expanded a lot during the last year's protests.
Four Al Qaeda operatives were killed in a US drone attack on a vehicle moving between two Al Qaeda strongholds in the southern province of Shabwa, said sources in AlQaeda-controlled hospital late Friday.
"Only four dead bodies arrived here the hospital of Azzan, " the sources said.
" It is very difficult who these bodies are, they are very black."
Other sources said the top leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAQ), Nasser Al Wahaishi, and Saad Bin Atef, and a Syrian expert on making bombs and explosives, were among those who were in the car.
The top leader of Al Qaeda
Armed tribesmen loyal to the Islamist party, Islah, are preparing to control the international airport of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, said local sources Friday.
The militants of Islah, in cooperation with Al Qaeda fighters in Arhab area, about 30 km north of Sanaa,started early Friday to attack the 63 brigade (republican guards) with heavy, medium and small size weapons, said the local source from Arhab,
Four armed vehicles with dozens of militants are positioning now in the area of Asda,about 500 meters away from the 63 brigade, in addition to similar other positions from two directions of Assama mountain which overlooks the airport, the sources said.
Arhab is known as a safe haven for Al Qaeda activities since 2007. Mohammed Al Hanek, middle level Al Qaeda leader, was killed earlier this month in Zinjubar, Al Qaeda-declared Islamic Emirate, in the southern province of Abyan.
The tribal leader Mansour Al Hanek, leader of the Islamist party, Islah in Arhab, is the commander of the attacking militants.
Two relatives of Mansour Al Hanek were killed in different special operations against Al Qaeda in Arhab over the last few years.
The cleric Abdul Majid Al Zandani, accused by US and UN of supporting global terrorism, is originally from Arhab, and where has been hiding since March last year.
The sources also said that fighters in Arhab are not only from the local people but also they are coming from Mareb, Al Jawf, Shabwa and other areas in Sanaa province like Nehm.
Earlier this week, an official report submitted to the Parliament warned from the activity of sleeping cells of Al Qaeda in Arhab and Aden and Lahj.
A total of 1150 soldiers were killed and 4350 others injured in different operations against army and security implemented by Al Qaeda and militants of Islah since January 2011, according to official reports.
Al Qaeda kills two tribesmen
Two tribesmen were shot dead by gunmen believed to be Al Qaeda fighters in the southern city of Aden, said eyewitnesses Friday.
Khaled Jamal Mohammed Ashal, Abdullah Ahmed Nasser Ashal were killed immediately after they finished the Friday sermons in Shaikh Othman area, in Aden city, the witnesses said.
The two dead men were working as bodyguards with the vice chairman of the Islamist party in Abyan province, Mohammed Hussein Ashal, brother of the member of parliament Ali Hussein Ashal.
Ashal family has been in conflict with Al Qaeda militants for about two years .
Ashal mobilized tribesmen from Mudia and Lawdar in Abyan province to fight what they always call " Saleh-made" Al Qaeda, in a reference to the former president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The family of Ashal, majority of them in the Islamist party Islah, always argue that there is no Al Qaeda in Yemen, and it is only Saleh who makes it to use it as a scarecrow to get money from the west.
Al Qaeda, a real and increasing threat in Yemen, expanded a lot during the last year's protests.
Al Qaeda kills two tribesmen in Aden, the south of Yemen
By Nasser Arrabyee,30/03/2012
Two tribesmen were shot dead by gunmen believed to be Al Qaeda fighters in the southern city of Aden, said eyewitnesses Friday.
Khaled Jamal Mohammed Ashal, Abdullah Ahmed Nasser Ashal were killed immediately after they finished the Friday sermons in Shaikh Othman area, in Aden city, the witnesses said.
The two dead men were working as bodyguards with the vice chairman of the Islamist party in Abyan province, Mohammed Hussein Ashal, brother of the member of parliament Ali Hussein Ashal.
Ashal family has been in conflict with Al Qaeda militants for about two years .
Ashal mobilized tribesmen from Mudia and Lawdar in Abyan province to fight what they always call " Saleh-made" Al Qaeda, in a reference to the former president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The family of Ashal, majority of them in the Islamist party Islah, always argue that there is no Al Qaeda in Yemen, and it is only Saleh who makes it to use it as a scarecrow to get money from the west.
Al Qaeda, a real and increasing threat in Yemen, expanded a lot during the last year's protests.
Two tribesmen were shot dead by gunmen believed to be Al Qaeda fighters in the southern city of Aden, said eyewitnesses Friday.
Khaled Jamal Mohammed Ashal, Abdullah Ahmed Nasser Ashal were killed immediately after they finished the Friday sermons in Shaikh Othman area, in Aden city, the witnesses said.
The two dead men were working as bodyguards with the vice chairman of the Islamist party in Abyan province, Mohammed Hussein Ashal, brother of the member of parliament Ali Hussein Ashal.
Ashal family has been in conflict with Al Qaeda militants for about two years .
Ashal mobilized tribesmen from Mudia and Lawdar in Abyan province to fight what they always call " Saleh-made" Al Qaeda, in a reference to the former president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The family of Ashal, majority of them in the Islamist party Islah, always argue that there is no Al Qaeda in Yemen, and it is only Saleh who makes it to use it as a scarecrow to get money from the west.
Al Qaeda, a real and increasing threat in Yemen, expanded a lot during the last year's protests.
Swiss woman's captors in Yemen want Osman Bin Laden's wives freed
Source; AFP, 30/03:2012
ADEN: A bid to release a Swiss woman kidnapped in Yemen has suffered a blow after her abductors made excessive demands, including for Osama bin Laden’s widows to be freed, a tribal chief said Thursday.
Al Qaeda militants abducted the woman on March 14 from her home in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, where she had been teaching at a foreign language institute.
She was taken to far eastern Shabwa province.
Tribal chief Ali Abdullah Zibari said, however, that mediation efforts had so far failed because of excessive demands placed by her captors, including the release of bin Laden’s widows held in Pakistan.
Zibari said the Islamic extremists also demanded the release of several women held in Iraq and Saudi Arabian return for the Swiss captive.
“Their initial demands for the release of (former Al Qaeda chief) Osama bin Laden’s wives held in Pakistan were rejected by Yemeni officials last week,” Zibari told AFP, adding the group then placed new conditions for the Swiss woman’s return.
“Now they’re demanding the release of 100 Al Qaeda affiliated militants from Yemeni jails and 50 million euros (66 million dollars)… at which point the mediation efforts failed because of the prohibitive demands,” he said.
Zibari played a crucial role in the release last November of three French aid workers kidnapped by Al Qaeda and held for five months.
Shabwa province is a stronghold of Al Qaeda’s local affiliate, the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law), which has expanded its influence in recent months, taking advantage of the political turmoil that has swept the country and forced the resignation of veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Kidnappings were common even before the uprising against Saleh’s rule that began last year.
More than 200 people have been abducted in Yemen over the past 15 years, many of them by members of the country’s powerful tribes who use them as bargaining chips with the authorities.
Almost all of those kidnapped were later freed unharmed.
ADEN: A bid to release a Swiss woman kidnapped in Yemen has suffered a blow after her abductors made excessive demands, including for Osama bin Laden’s widows to be freed, a tribal chief said Thursday.
Al Qaeda militants abducted the woman on March 14 from her home in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, where she had been teaching at a foreign language institute.
She was taken to far eastern Shabwa province.
Tribal chief Ali Abdullah Zibari said, however, that mediation efforts had so far failed because of excessive demands placed by her captors, including the release of bin Laden’s widows held in Pakistan.
Zibari said the Islamic extremists also demanded the release of several women held in Iraq and Saudi Arabian return for the Swiss captive.
“Their initial demands for the release of (former Al Qaeda chief) Osama bin Laden’s wives held in Pakistan were rejected by Yemeni officials last week,” Zibari told AFP, adding the group then placed new conditions for the Swiss woman’s return.
“Now they’re demanding the release of 100 Al Qaeda affiliated militants from Yemeni jails and 50 million euros (66 million dollars)… at which point the mediation efforts failed because of the prohibitive demands,” he said.
Zibari played a crucial role in the release last November of three French aid workers kidnapped by Al Qaeda and held for five months.
Shabwa province is a stronghold of Al Qaeda’s local affiliate, the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law), which has expanded its influence in recent months, taking advantage of the political turmoil that has swept the country and forced the resignation of veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Kidnappings were common even before the uprising against Saleh’s rule that began last year.
More than 200 people have been abducted in Yemen over the past 15 years, many of them by members of the country’s powerful tribes who use them as bargaining chips with the authorities.
Almost all of those kidnapped were later freed unharmed.
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