Almost all population are out.
Official accuses journalist of affiliating to Al Qaeda.
The separation movement in the south stage demonstrations one day before the Friends of Yemen meet in New York.
By Nasser Arrabyee/23/09/2010
At least 4 Al Qaeda fighters were killed and five others arrested in an attack by the Yemeni army on a position outside the town of Al Huta in the southern province of Shabwa, said tribal and security sources Thursday. Dozens of soldiers were killed and injured as the resistance was very strong, the sources said.
The sources said that the army started an all out offensive on the town of Al Huta later after noon on Thursday after almost all population displaced to the neighboring areas to escape the fighting.
“ Almost all the population are out now, and the army has started the attack on the Al Qaeda fighters,” said Abu Ahmed, who displaced from Al Huta with 30 members of his family and his brother’s family to the area of Azzan, 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 Azzan.
“We received assistance for 200 families, and those who displaced are about 3000 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
.
The government loyal Sheikh Abdul Bari Al Mehdhar said the Al Qaeda fighters who are from Al Huta are only 8 and the others are from outside the town. He said the leader of the group is called Abdul Azeez Al Mualem.
About 100 militants are fighting the army now including Saudis and Somalis according to local sources.
To this end, the website of the Yemeni defense ministry accused a journalist of being a member of Al Qaeda.
The www.26sep.net quoted a source close to the investigations with the journalist Abdul Elah Haidar Shaea as saying , “ Among the accusations against Shaea is that he affiliates to Al Qaeda and that he is the official spokesman for it , and the defender of it, and he offered the ‘Baya’ (oath and loyalty) to the leader of Al Qaeda Nasser Al Wahaishy, and he has relations with Anwar Al Awlaki, the wanted for security.”
The State Security Court ruled on Tuesday that Shaea be kept in prison for 30 days more for completing the investigations. Shaea was arrested by Yemeni intelligence from his house in Sana’a on August 16th, 2010. His file was submitted to the prosecution on September 14th.
“The so-called Abdul Elah Haidar Shaea was arrested with documents in his possession showing that he told Al Qaeda and advised them to assassinate a senior security official in a gathering for condolences after death of the father of this official. There were many other officials in the gathering.”
The investigations showed that he had documents and films showing the movements of a senior security official.
The website said that Shaea received Al Qaeda members who came from outside Yemen, and took them to the places of Al Qaeda in Yemen.
He provided some Arab and international satellite channels with video tapes showing operations implemented by the AlQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in return for money.
Meanwhile, thousands of supporters of the separation southern movement staged Thursday demonstrations in Lahj, Abyan and Al Dhale’e without any clashes with the security forces.
The demonstrations came one day before the Friends of Yemen meet in New York (Friday September4th) to help Yemen get out from its political, economic, security and development problems.
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