SANAA: Yemeni forces clashed with rebels, killing 11 in the country where the United States fear Al-Qaeda will exploit instability to prepare attacks, a government source said on Friday.
The 26 September news website, quoting an unnamed government source, said Yemeni forces had destroyed a “terrorist den” in the northern Saada region on Thursday in what was described as a combing operation by security forces and military.
Rebels in northern Yemen launched a rebellion against the government in 2004, complaining of social, economic and religious marginalization.
The conflict drew in neighboring Saudi Arabia in November when rebels staged a cross-border incursion into the world’s biggest oil exporter.
Yemen, which is also facing separatist sentiment in the south, was thrown into focus when the regional wing of Al-Qaeda said it was behind an attempt to bomb a US passenger plane on Christmas Day.
The United States fear Al-Qaeda will exploit the instability in Yemen to turn it into a launch pad for attacks.
