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Arabia
Gunmen kill 5 Yemeni troops guarding LNG plant
2013-08-12
Suspected Al Qaeda terrorists militants killed four Yemeni soldiers in their sleep early on Sunday in an attack on forces guarding the countryÂ’s only liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal, a local official said.

The assault follows an escalating campaign of drone strikes by the United States over the past two weeks and warnings of terrorist militant attacks that prompted Washington to close embassies across the Middle East and evacuate some staff from Yemen.

The official said the terrorists gunmen infiltrated a checkpoint guarding the Balhaf LNG terminal in the southern Shabwa province, killed one soldier and then entered a cargo container where four more troops were sleeping and shot them dead. The terrorists attackers fled in a vehicle, he said.

A Yemeni government spokesman said last week that the $4.5 billion gas facility, jointly managed by Yemen LNG and FranceÂ’s Total, was one of two energy targets that suspected Al Qaeda terrorists militants had been plotting to attack.

The Balhaf facility, the largest industrial project ever undertaken in Yemen, opened in 2009. It is heavily guarded by Yemeni troops. It supplies gas cooled to liquid for export by ship, under long-term contracts to GDF Suez, Total and Korea Gas Corp.

A private security source working for oil and gas firms in Yemen said SundayÂ’s killing appeared to be in retaliation for recent drone strikes that killed scores of terrorists insurgents in the south.

“The checkpoint they attacked is one of many leading up to the gas facilities,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The terrorists militants know that it’s impossible to penetrate all of the checkpoints and that’s why they didn’t attempt to go further. They just wanted vengeance.”

He said there are usually up to 1,800 Yemeni soldiers guarding oil and gas facilities in Shabwa and the number has been increased in recent weeks.

The Yemeni government said last week that it had foiled a plot by Al Qaeda to seize the Al Dabbah oil export terminal in Hadramout and the Balhaf gas export facility. The security source said tight security arrangements are already in place in Yemen to protect oil and gas facilities and foreign experts working there from potential attacks by the terrorists militants.
Posted by:Steve White

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