US special forces direct attempt by Yemeni troops to dislodge al-Qaeda

YEMENI forces under US military direction have launched a major assault on al-Qaeda militants in the south, hoping to seize the initiative from emboldened extremists.

America’s leading role marks a significant stepping up of US-Yemeni co-operation against al-Qaeda’s local affiliate Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law).

It also signals increased concern over the growing strength of al-Qaeda in Yemen since the militants gained control of several southern towns by taking advantage of the security vacuum during an uprising that led to the fall of president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Yemeni troops yesterday battled the militants on the ground in three areas as warplanes bombed suspected hideouts. Military officials said the main goal was to retake Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan province.

Yemen’s ill-equipped and poorly trained military has stumbled repeatedly in trying to fight al-Qaeda ever since the militants seized territory last year. But since Mr Saleh’s resignation in February, his successor, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has vowed to make the fight against al-Qaeda a top priority.

Yemeni officers have nevertheless complained that political divisions in the capital, Sanaa, have hampered their abilities to combat the militants. Several Yemeni military officials said yesterday that, unlike previous, failed offensives against al-Qaeda, this time the United States was providing direct logistical support to the Yemeni military.

The officials said an airbase called al-Annad in the southern province of Lahj was serving as a command centre for nearly 60 US troops who were providing advice, information and logistical support to Yemeni forces.

The Pentagon said a week ago that it had sent military trainers back to Yemen for “routine” counter-terrorism co-operation with Yemeni security forces.

An American official said the troops were special forces, who work under more secretive arrangements than conventional US troops and whose expertise includes training local forces.

The new, large, offensive began on Saturday but has sharply escalated.

By yesterday, Yemeni troops had pushed into the centre of Zinjibar and military helicopters were flying over the city for the first time in an indication that al-Qaeda militants did not have heavy weaponry capable of shooting them down, one military official said.

The troops “can for the first time catch a glimpse of the torched government buildings” in which al-Qaeda’s fighters had sheltered down during the battles that turned the city into a ghost town after thousands of residents fled, the official said. He added that six militants were captured in Zinjibar, but provided no other details on casualties.

To the north, in the town of Jaar, warplanes were also bombing al-Qaeda hideouts. One raid destroyed parts of a house, leaving two charred bodies. When local residents went to inspect the site of the attack, a second raid mistakenly killed eight of them and wounded 20, the officials said. The military also managed to drive militants out of the town of Hurour, to the west of Zinjibar, the officials said.

Abdu Dail, who fled Hurour with his family on Sunday, said most of the residents left after the military warned them about the offensive.