Yemen launches major operation against al-Qaeda gunmen

Military officials say Yemeni forces have launched a large-scale operation to flush al-Qaeda militants out of southern towns of the impoverished Arab country.

A military commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, said government forces clashed Tuesday with the armed men in the Lahmar area of the Abyan province.

Other clashes took place near al-Saeed in Shabwa province as al-Qaeda militants confronted advancing government forces.

Army troops backed by local militiamen moved last week in to “purge” the towns of Ahwar and al-Mahfad, in Abyan province, and Azzan, al-Houta, al-Rawda and al-Saeed in Shabwa province, another military official said

“The campaign will not stop until these areas are purged of al-Qaeda militants,” the unnamed official added.

Yemen has witnessed regular attacks on its troops and other acts of violence, with authorities blaming al-Qaeda militants for the deadly assaults.

On April 13, at least four members of Yemeni security forces have been killed in three separate militant attacks in the country.

Suspected al-Qaeda militants attacked a special forces checkpoint at the western entrance to the port city of Mukalla, which is the provincial capital of Hadramawt, on April 8, killing four soldiers and injuring two others.

On April 4, al-Qaeda gunmen killed eight soldiers in an attack on an army post in Hadramawt. Four militants also died in the attack.

Al-Qaeda-linked violence against Yemeni security forces has grown since February 2012, when President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi came to power in a one-man election backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Hadi replaced long-time dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted after a year of mass protests across the country.