Yemeni Army Hunting Down Al-Qaida Terrorists

The Yemeni army is hunting down Al-Qaida terrorists. According to some media, on December 14 special anti-terrorist forces commanded by Major-General Ahmed Saleh, the elder son of the Yemeni President, launched the operation in three provinces to capture four Al-Qaida members - an Egyptian and three Yemenis. Osama bin Laden's son-in-law is among them. On Thursday the funeral of 18 servicemen killed in an armed conflict with fighters of the local al-Jalal tribe in the Marib province /140 kilometres to the east from Sanaa/ took place at the Martyrs' cemetery in Sanaa, Yemen's capital. The lieutenant-colonel who commanded the operation in Husoun al-Jalal is among the victims. The tribe lost 15 people including women and children. The total number of the wounded on the both sides is 49 people. A governmental commission comprised of representatives of defence and interior ministers and the elders of the local tribes was formed to investigate the accident. In late September the Yemeni authorities deported 500 veterans of the war in Afghanistan - Egyptian, Algerian, Tunisia, Libyan citizens who were illegally staying in the country.