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| East/Subsaharan Africa |
| Yemeni Forces In Shootout With al-Qaida |
| 2002-12-20 |
| Yemeni security forces fought a gunbattle Friday with suspected members of al-Qaida holed up in a building in the southern port of al-Mukalla, a security official said. The al-Qaida suspects are believed to have taken part in the Oct. 6 attack on the French oil tanker Limburg, which killed a crew member. Police approached the three-story residential building after being tipped off that al-Qaida members lived there, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A gun fight ensued and at least three people were injured. The casualties were not identified. Security forces cordoned off the building and set up checkpoints in the city, about 350 miles southeast of the capital, San'a, the official said. A medical source at al-Mukalla's Ibn Sina hospital confirmed three men had been admitted with wounds from the shootout. The attack on the Limburg was carried out by an explosives-packed boat that was detonated next to the tanker's hull. The damaged tanker discharged about 90,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Aden. A similar attack on the destroyer USS Cole, in which 17 U.S. sailors were killed, was also blamed on al-Qaida, the terror group blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has Yemeni origins. Another Yemeni government official said Friday that authorities were expected to charge 10 people on Limburg attack. A French security team is in Yemen investigating the attack, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Looks like our friends in Yemen are on the ball. Too bad they didn't get to use one of those Scud's on them. |
| Posted by:Anonymous |