Yemen arrests 14 Al Qaeda fighters

By Nasser Arrabyee/05/09/2010
A total of 14 Al Qaeda suspects were arrested in the district of Lawdar of the southern province of Abyan where Yemeni forces having been combing Al Qaeda hideouts for more than two weeks, official sources said Sunday.
“The security forces are hunting for the remaining terrorists around the clock, and those trying to escape will be arrested by the security check points which surround all the area of Lawdar,” said a statement by the ministry of interior.

A total of 4 out of the 14 militants, including the leading Al Qaeda operative Salah Al Dabani, were arrested in those check points, said the statement.

The statement expected that some of Al Qaeda militants will surrender themselves to the security authorities that tighten the noose on them with support from the local tribal leaders.
The combing and searching operations by Yemeni security forces are continuing in the town of Lawdar and the areas around it since the middle of last month when fierce confrontations killed more than 30 people including 19 Al Qaeda militants and 11 soldiers.