A Yemeni man walks past the ancient gate of the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen, on 17 December 2009 (EPA)
SANAA, (Reuters) – Yemeni security forces backed by warplanes killed up to 30 al Qaeda militants on Thursday, the government announced, and a security source said the operations had foiled a planned series of suicide bombings.
According to a government website, Yemeni forces hit a number of al Qaeda targets including a training centre in the southern province of Abyan. This had led to the killing of 24-30 militants including foreigners, it said, without giving their nationalities.
The security source told Reuters that altogether 34 al Qaeda militants had been killed and 17 arrested in Abyan and in Arhab district, north of the capital Sanaa.
“The operation led to the foiling of an al Qaeda plan aiming to hit foreign and local interests and schools, including eight suicide bombers who were preparing explosive belts to carry out the plan,” the source said.
As well as fighting al Qaeda militants, Yemen is battling a separate Shi’ite rebellion in the north and separatist unrest in the south.
Soldiers search vehicles at a checkpoint on a road near the Saudi border in the western Yemeni province of Hajja, October 10, 2009 (REUTERS)
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh meets with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal (unseen) at the Defence Complex in Sanaa, December 8, 2009 (REUTERS)