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Southern Yemen tense

March 31, 2012

In southern Yemen, suspected al Qaeda militants have attacked army checkpoints in the town of Mallah, setting off clashes that left at least 30 people dead.

https://p.dw.com/p/14Vo0
epa03165548 A Yemeni man passes soldiers who have defected for the Government forces on an armored vehicle guarding during a protest demanding the independence of the judiciary in Sana'a, Yemen, 30 March 2012. According to media reports, thousands of Yemeni protesters gathered in Sana'a to demand the independence of the judiciary and the prosecution of those responsible for the killing of hundreds of their fellows during one-year bloody protests against the 34-year rule of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB EPA/YAHYA ARHAB +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++
Jemen MilitärImage: picture-alliance/dpa

Yemeni army officers said air force and ground forces were brought in to repel the attackers. Saturday's fighting had left dead 17 soldiers and 13 militants, said one officer. Eleven more soldiers were missing and were presumed killed.

They said two tanks and three vehicles used by the militants were also destroyed. Militants had taken over one army post.

The news agency AFP says it received a message in which a group calling itself "Partisans of Sharia" claimed responsibility for assaulting the base and claimed to have killed "30 soldiers."

Residents said the army had begun distributing machineguns among them so they could oppose the militants.

Mallah lies in Lahij province along a road leading to Abyan, another southern province which is an al-Qaeda stronghold.

Abyan's main city Zinjibar was overrun by militants last May, prompting army operations aimed at recapturing it.

Pipeline attacked after drone raids

On Friday, suspected al-Qaeda members struck a gas pipeline inside another southern region, Shabwar, and leading to the Balhaf terminal on the Gulf of Aden.

That attack followed what appeared to be two airstrikes by unmanned US drones on al-Qaeda positions in Shabwar. Yemeni officials said four militants were killed in those strikes.

There was no immediate comment from US officials. Last year, a US drone killed two militants – one US-born – inside Yemen.

Government in Sanaa under pressure

Opposition lawmakers have accused Yemen's new government under newly elected president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi of being unable to stop al-Qaeda from gaining ground in the country's south. Hadi is a former deputy of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down in February under a US-brokered deal.

Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi smiles before casting his vote at a polling station in Sanaa February 21, 2012. Yemenis began voting on Tuesday to replace President Ali Abdullah Saleh in an election many hope will give Yemen a chance to rebuild the country shattered by a year-long struggle that had pushed Yemen to the brink of civil war. Hadi stands uncontested as a consensus candidate. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi (YEMEN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)
Yemen's new president Abed Rabbo Mansour HadiImage: REUTERS

During recent street protests, Yemenis have demanded that Saleh, who ruled for 33 years, be stripped of his immunity and be put on trial for the deaths of demonstrators during Yemen's year-long uprising that was inspired by the Arab Spring revolts.

ipj/tj (AP, AFP, Reuters)