[Al Arabiya Latest] Yemen has boosted security at energy installations to guard against militant attacks, a government official said on Sunday, as Sanaa escalated its war against al-Qaeda. "The security measures have been strengthened for some time. But we took additional measures around oil institutions and the gas project in Shabwa," the official told Reuters, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. He said the measures were put in place "in case of any terrorist attacks". Other security officials said the heightened security had been put in place on Saturday, a day after an air strike in northern Yemen killed six al-Qaeda militants.
Yemen declared open war on al-Qaeda on Thursday and warned citizens against aiding the global militant group. Troops were sent last week to join a drive against al-Qaeda in three provinces.
On Friday, an air strike killed six al-Qaeda militants in northern Yemen in an attack one analyst has said would be a significant blow to al-Qaeda's Yemen-based wing.
The local headquarters of several large Western oil companies are clustered in the capital and the residential area housing Western oil workers in Sanaa has been attacked before.