Yemeni security forces arrested Thursday five of the militants of the banned extremist Aden-Abyan Islamic Army (AAIA). An official source said that security and counter terrorism forces were able to catch the five militants while mopping up the two governorates of Abyan and Lahj. By this the number of the arrested militants rise to 27 persons. The government troops launched two weeks ago an intensive arrest campaign against 80 AAIA militants who were camping in the Hatat mountainous and rugged area in Abyan. This operation came as a result of an attack by the militants against a military medical convoy.
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Among the militants who are still at large are the ten USS Cole bombing suspects who escaped an intelligence prison in Aden last April.
The campaign to hunt down for these fugitives is still going on in Abyan and Lahj. On the other hand, the Yemeni-Saudi authorities are preparing for mutual extradition of 13 al-Qaeda suspects and criminals, an official source said Thursday. The Saudi authority is to hand over to Yemeni authorities eight suspects, including two persons suspected of being involved in the terrorist attack on the French Oiltanker Limburg last October at Hadhramut port. Yemen is to extradite five Saudi nationals; three of them are al-Qaeda suspects while the other two are charged with criminal acts. Saudi Arabia already extradited some suspects to Yemen. This action taken by the two countries is a part of the implementation of the security accord signed between the two countries, which they have stressed during their coordination council meetings last week that they would enhance cooperation against terrorism. |