SANAA, 27 June 2003 — The mountain hideout where at least 60 Al-Qaeda-inspired militants had taken refuge was overrun yesterday by Yemeni troops, who discovered cassette tapes bearing pictures of the group’s leader Osama Bin Laden.
The troops captured the lair of the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army near Hatat in the south of the country after launching a military assault which lasted several hours and involved artillery and Katyusha rockets.
The Interior Ministry says six militants were killed and 11 others were captured in Wednesday’s fighting, and sources speaking on condition of anonymity say two more were captured yesterday.
The members of the group retreated to the mountains after attacking a military medical convoy on Saturday, wounding seven soldiers. The group is known for kidnapping 16 Western tourists in 1998; four of the tourists died in a botched rescue attempt by soldiers.
Negotiations with local tribal leaders ended without a breakthrough early Wednesday, after the militants made it clear that they would rather fight than surrender. The hideout turned out to be a house of three rooms and a mosque and contained explosives and cassettes bearing pictures of Bin Laden. Reporters who visited the house said they also saw typical Afghan clothing, suggesting some of the militants had fought in Afghanistan, and a Saudi-issued driving license. One Yemeni Army officer was killed in Wednesday’s fighting, and five other soldiers were wounded.
