The group has stepped up attacks on government troops in
Yemen's south, exploiting turmoil in a country convulsed by months of protests
against the 33-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
CIA Director David Petraeus said on Tuesday the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had emerged as the "most dangerous"
affiliate of the militant network a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks on the
United States.
In a statement posted on websites late on Monday, AQAP said
Yemen's military last week hit two mosques, a hospital and a market place in
Abyan province, which lies close to a strategic shipping channel.
AQAP's account conflicted with an earlier army statement
that said it had targeted militants in the airstrikes and killed 30 of them.
"Seven Muslim civilians were killed, a number more were
wounded and several buildings were destroyed. The mujahideen (fighters)
confirmed that none of them were hurt because they were not present in these
areas," the AQAP statement said.
"The mujahideen stress that they will not leave these
crimes unpunished," it added.
In a separate statement, AQAP said it was behind an August
suicide bomb attack against Shiite insurgents known as Houthis.
The bomber drove an explosives-rigged car into a gathering
of Houthis in the northern province of Al-Jawf.
Al-Jawf lies along the border with Saudi Arabia - a reminder
that militants linked to AQAP are not confined to Yemen's south.
