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» BPyles - Yemen - again

Second day, second try.

Yemen Reinforces Troops in Sweep

By AHMED AL-HAJ
Associated Press Writer

December 19, 2001, 1:27 PM EST

ADEN, Yemen -- Troop reinforcements on Wednesday moved into the remote hills of central Yemen where government forces have battled armed tribesmen in an assault to capture suspected operatives of Osama bin Laden.

There was sporadic gunfire but no fighting reported in the provinces of Shabwa and Marib, where heavy clashes took place Tuesday as the government tried to capture five suspected bin Laden loyalists being protected by the Abida tribe. Both provinces are known strongholds of Islamic militants.

Government security officials said it wasn't clear when the new troops would launch a fresh assault on villages in the rugged mountains and hillsides.

Special forces trained with U.S. help moved on several hillside villages in the al-Halsun region of Marib on Tuesday with tanks, helicopters and artillery after the Abida tribe refused to hand over the five suspects. Four tribesmen and eight soldiers were killed. Seven other people died of their wounds Wednesday, security officials said, without providing details on their identities.

The five suspects were able to hide or escape the barrage, according to tribal sources and security officials in Marib province, 100 miles east of the capital, San`a.

Yemen's sweep appeared to be the most serious military operation yet by an Arab country against bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network. The United States blames al-Qaida for the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and a deadly October 2000 attack on a U.S. destroyer that was refueling in Yemen's port of Aden. American officials have pressured the Yemeni government to crack down on the network's cells in the country.

Security also has been tightened in the provinces of Hadramout, Abyan and Lahj, three eastern strongholds of Islamic militants. Bin Laden's father emigrated to Saudi Arabia from the Hadramout border region.

Sources in the Marib region familiar with the operation said one of the men being pursued in the sweep was among three names of suspected al-Qaida operatives in Yemen that U.S. officials gave Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh during his visit last month to Washington. They said at least one of the men being sought was a non-Yemeni Arab who previously was in Afghanistan.

Bin Laden has substantial support in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and his al-Qaida network is believed to exist in dozens of countries worldwide.

Well-armed tribal fiefdoms have made it difficult for the Yemeni government to impose the rule of law in Marib province. Since 1990, about 100 foreigners have been kidnapped in Marib. The 5,000-strong Abida tribe is the largest in the province.

Copyright © 2001, The Associated Press

-- posted by BPyles