YEMENI SECURITY UNITS CARRIED OUT RECENT ATTACKS AGAINST AL QAEDA

SANA'A, Dec. 23 (Saba)- The decision of recent air raids against
al-Qaeda in Abyan province and Arhab district of Sana'a was a Yemeni
decision carried by Yemeni security units, deputy prime minister for
defense and security told the parliament on Wednesday.

Rashad al-Alimi said that the operations was done by benefiting from
intelligence information within cooperation between Yemen and other
countries like Saudi Arabia and United States of America in domain
of combating terror.

The deputy prime minister added that security unit launched raids on
al-Majalh village of al-Mahfad district in Abyan last Thursday after
having confirmed information that there was a training camp for
al-Qaeda in the region.

The attack resulted in killing 23 al-Qaeda elements including
Yemenis and non-Yemenis, he said.

Al-Alimi blamed al-Qaeda responsibility of claming life of civilians
who are families of these elements brought to cook for them, saying
that a fact investigations committee headed by Abyan governor to
investigate in the event.

The committee was formed by president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Regarding attacks in Arhab district, the deputy prime minister said
that the security bodies received information about possibilities of
carrying out terror suicide attacks by eight al-Qaeda elements in
Sana'a capital targeting British Embassy and foreign schools.

The attacks resulted in killing three al-Qaeda elements and
arresting other three, he added.

Al-Alimi talked in the parliament session about al-Qaeda plots to
establish Islamic emirates in some provinces of the country, saying
that al-Qaeda has launched 61 terror attacks since 1992 targeting
foreign embassies and tourists places and killing senior security
commanders.

He also said that these attacks damaged the economy of the nation as
the tourist sector loses around 144 million yearly.

The deputy minister pointed out to the efforts of the government to
combat terrorism, saying that the country has set up National
Security Body, Coastguard, and other new anti-terrorism security and
military units.