SANAA, 4 March 2004 — Yemeni troops moved into the rugged unruly areas of the southeastern province of Abyan yesterday seeking militants accused of attacking local officials and a school, officials and local residents said.
Anti-terror police squads, backed by army units and military helicopters, set up checkpoints and scoured the Lawdar district of Abyan, some 400 km southeast of the capital Sanaa, local residents told Arab News by phone.
Police said the wanted men were accused of attacking local intelligence and education officials last month. They also attacked a school on Monday and tried to set it ablaze in protest against co-education.
The suspects are believed to be members of the militant Islamic Jihad group.
The army also deployed artillery units and tanks throughout the mountainous areas around Lawdar, where the suspects are believed to be hiding, officials said.
They said the government forces would move through the area and launch an attack if the militants refused to surrender. However, the authorities will try and seek tribal mediation to persuade the militants to surrender before any military action, according to a senior government official.
“Troops are still being deployed to help encircle the area,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The operation is the latest effort by the Yemeni government to crack down on militants in the area. In June last year, troops stormed the group’s mountain hideout in the nearby Hatat mountains.
