[Yemen Post] The state-run al-Jamhoria newspaper reported on Saturday citing familiar sources, that the commander of the Southern Military Region, Salem Qatan, has ordered that an officer suspected with cooperating with al-Qaeda be tossed in the clink and referred to Aden for further interpretation.The newspaper said the tossed in the clink officer has smuggled hundreds of artillery shells from the Southern Military Region armories and is believed to have given them to Al-Qaeda, which is fighting with army troops in the southern province of Abyan.
The cut-throats have launched surprise attacks on military outposts in the southern part of Yemen, killing hundreds, capturing dozens and seizing large quantity of heavy weapons such as rocket launchers, tanks and artillery.
The southern region soldiers accused their former commander Mahdi Maquala of supplying the terror network with different kinds of weapons in order to make people think that he was the one restoring security in the region.
The sources told the paper that the military leadership is still looking for some military equipment, and heavy weapons which have been missing since the command of the Southern Military Region changed hands to the new commander Salem Qahtan. He alluded that they think Maquala has transferred the weapons to secret stores in nearby areas.
Furthermore, a security official told the same paper that the police managed to arrest two suspected al-Qaeda spies who dropped out of their military services. The soldiers are suspected of supplying al-Qaeda with various kinds of missiles.
According to the official, the suspects confessed that they worked as spies for al-Qaeda.
The security official confirmed that the security apparatus is currently monitoring the movement of some suspects who entered Aden under the pretext of being refugees.
Al-Qaeda has taken control of vast swathes of land in the south, taking an advantage of the distracted, exhausted government.