Yemen, the country's interior ministry claimed after
an intensive weekend air offensive in which US
drones are believed to have been involved.
The operation, which started on Sunday and
continued into Monday, focused on a rugged
mountain area in the central and southern
provinces of Yemen, where al-Qaida has been
operating camps.
Several air strikes – presumed to be carried out
chiefly by US drones – were launched against
targets in the Mahfad region, between Abyan,
Shabwa and al-Bayda provinces.
The reported deaths of 55 militants on Sunday
alone would make it the biggest strike against al-
Qaida militants in years. Yemen's interior ministry said that the first strikes
on Sunday lasted for several hours and claimed the
lives of three prominent figures as well as dozens of
other militants.
It identified the three as Mohammed
Salem Abed Rabbo al-Mashibi, Fawaz Hussein al-
Mahrak and Saleh Said Mahrak.
The ministry said that identification of the dead was
continuing, and that non-Yemeni Arab fighters
were among those killed.
It said the strikes hit targets in the valley of Wadi al-
Khayala and two other locations, Lodiya and
Ramtha, which local tribal leaders said were at
either end of the valley.
The security officials and local tribal leaders said
Monday's strikes killed several militants, including
one they identified as a local commander, Munnaser
al-Anbouri.
It was unclear how many militants died.
It was possible to identify him because militants
delivered his body to his family, who live in the area, the officials said.
A tribal chief from the area said flames and smoke
were billowing from the location on Sunday.
He
said the militants had been seen in the past parking
their vehicles in bushes in the area and he believed
the fire was caused by the vehicles' fuel tanks.
In
recent weeks, he said, the militants had transported heavy weaponry to the area, including artillery.
A Yemeni security official told the Associated Press
that the infrastructure of the base had been
destroyed.
He said the offensive was based on
intelligence and "regional and international" co-
operation, suggesting that neighbouring Saudi
Arabia may also have been involved in the planning.
There was no immediate US comment on
the strikes.
The escalation came after the Yemeni defence
minister, Major General Mohammed Nasser Ahmed,
and his commanders returned from the US after a
two-week visit.
The Yemeni government acknowledged that three
civilians were killed in the air strike on Saturday in
the central al-Bayda province, which also witnessed
a controversial strike in December in which security
officials said 15 people on their way to a wedding
were killed.
Also late on Sunday, a Yemeni security official said
anti-terrorist forces had targeted a vehicle
suspected of carrying al-Qaida operatives in
Shabwa.
Shortly after, a helicopter arrived on the scene to
pick up the bodies and those injured, local
witnesses said, speaking on condition of
anonymity for fear of retribution.
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