Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Karnataka
|
Al-Qaida militants pull out of south Yemen town | Scores of militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida wing have withdrawn from Yemen 's southern
town of Shakra , which they overran a year ago, a Yemeni security official said
Thursday. The al-Qaida militants along with several vehicles loaded with weapons
have left Shakra, a coastal town on a major shipping route, after the army drove
them out of two other cities in the southern province of Abyan , the local security
official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. "They quit the town during the
night. All streets, neighborhoods and government buildings are now absolutely
free of the al-Qaida militants," the security official said. "When the army troops
advanced and seized control over two hills overlooking Shakra town, the al-Qaida
militants fled to avoid the offensive," he added. Many senior leaders of the al-Qaida
group are no longer holing up in the coastal town of Shakra , some 50 km away
from Zinjibar, Abyan's provincial capital, according to intelligence officers.
A local resident told Xinhua anonymously that "the al-Qaida militants evacuated
all public buildings in Shakra. They left overnight without causing any chaos
or destruction in our town." "Shakra was the last foothold of al-Qaida in Abyan
province," he said. Hundreds of Yemeni troops backed by armored vehicles moved
early Thursday to take control of Shakra after the militants' withdrawal, an army
officer said. On Tuesday, the Yemeni armed forces took control of Jaar and Zinjibar,
two major al-Qaida strongholds in Abyan that had been under al-Qaida control for
more than a year. The Yemeni government troops have waged an intensive military
campaign since last month, with support of the United States and Yemen 's oil-rich
neighbor Saudi Arabia , to uproot the al-Qaida militants from the southern regions.
The Yemen-based al-Qaida wing, locally known as the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic
Law), admitted leaving its major strongholds, saying that "the fighters have retreated
from Zinjibar and Jaar in Abyan to avoid destruction of towns by the American-led
army." The terrorist group also threatened to spread the fight and suicide attacks
all over Yemen after it was forced to abandon its main strongholds in Abyan. |
|
|
|
|
|