Al-Qaeda killed 16 soldiers in an attack on an army base in south Yemen on Friday, medical and military sources said, in a further show of strength by Islamist militants despite a US campaign of drone strikes to neutralize them.
Militants tightened their hold on parts of Yemen during an uprising that ousted veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh in February, raising concern for the security of top oil exporter Saudi Arabia next door and nearby shipping lanes.
Violence has intensified in the past few weeks with Washington stepping up drone, or pilotless aircraft, operations and militants carrying out retaliatory attacks on state and military targets.
Photo: EPA
Two militants disguised in army uniforms drove an explosives-laden car into the military base in Shuqra, a town in the southern province of Abyan, and detonated them inside, a military official said.
Moments later, other militants assaulted the base from the sea and a fierce battle ensued.
At least 16 soldiers and 8 militants were killed, according to medical and military sources. An initial death toll that counted 13 militants as dead was revised down to eight after five of those killed were identified as uninvolved civilians.
“The two suicide bombers were wearing army uniforms, and even their car had a military numberplate, so they didn’t raise any suspicion,” a wounded Yemeni soldier said.
On Thursday, nine suspected al-Qaeda militants were killed in what a security source and residents said was a US drone strike on a farmhouse outside a town in south Yemen that was held by militants last year.
Yemen’s wealthier Gulf neighbors and Washington are concerned that al-Qaeda and other Islamist militants operating in Yemen could pose a threat to Saudi Arabia and to nearby shipping channels.
Since Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was formed by Saudi and Yemeni militants in 2007, the group has carried out suicide attacks on Western tourists and foreign officials, sent a bomber into Saudi Arabia in an attempt to assassinate a senior prince and tried to place explosive packages on aircraft bound for the US.
Islamist insurgents captured two southern cities, Jaar and Zinjibar, between March and May last year, taking advantage of a security vacuum during the anti-Saleh revolt.
After Saleh quit, the army managed to remove militants with the help of US missiles fired from air and sea. However, local residents say militants still hold sway in some districts while the army controls only entry points well outside.
Many Yemenis complain the US focus on militants is a violation of sovereignty that is driving many towards al-Qaeda and diverting attention from other pressing issues such as unemployment, corruption, water depletion and economic revival.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese