Yemen: many killed and wounded in battles between the army and Islamists
Yemen, Politics, 6/26/2003

The battle of Yemeni Hatat mountains has begun between the government forces and scores of armed Islamists who are stationed in the range lands in Abyan province. The clashes resulted in killing and wounding scores of people following the failure of the mediation efforts between the chieftains of the area to convince the gunmen to surrender.

The battle warns of more bloodshed due to the great number of gunmen hidden in the mountains and the army's use of tanks and helicopters, under the lack of any possibility for a peaceful settlement of the situation.

The Yemeni ministry of the interior said that six extremists and one police man were killed during the attack. The ministry added that five police men were injured and that 11 individuals were arrested and are being interrogated, and that "large amounts of various weapons and explosives with them were seized." However, Yemeni security sources stressed that 11 gunmen were killed.

The battle started 10 a.m. yesterday when the Yemeni forces bombarded positions of the Islamists by heavy artillery and Katyusha missiles after the failure of the chieftains' mediation. The preliminary bombardment was followed by the attack by hundreds of police forces and special anti-terrorism forces who received their training at the hands of the Americans.

One of the mediators said that the gunmen refused to surrender, and redeployed in the besieged mountains, preferring to fight the government forces rather than surrender.

The mediator, who is the son of one of the chieftains of the region, estimated number of gunmen he had seen at 50 while the Yemeni military field leadership estimated their number at 80. The mediator said "they are from various areas in Yemen and not from one region." The bombardment of the government forces lasted, without resistance from the gunmen, for two hours and then the special forces starting moved slowly and cautiously towards the mountains.

The crisis of Hatat mountains started after a medical caravan for the army was ambushed in Abyan and this resulted in wounding seven persons. It is believed that the men who are hiding in the mountains are member of al-Jihad groups and the Islamic Abyan Aden army and also members of al-Qaida supporters.

The attack coincides with the talks the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh held in Berlin with the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, whlie the German government is in the process of making a decision on the fate of detained Yemenis convicted of financing al-Qaida organization. The detained are Muhammad Hassan al-Mu'ayad and Muhammad Hassan Zayed, where Germany discussed handing them over to the USA.

Previous Stories:
  Yemen: Besieging 80 Islamists in the mountains; tribal mediation, over al-Harithi issue   (6/25/2003)
  Yemeni president on European tour; police chasing three fleeing Saudis   (6/21/2003)
  Syrian-Yemeni telecommunications relations boosted   (6/13/2003)

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