26/04/2014 09:49
Yemeni commandos raid al Qaeda hideouts
Yemeni commando forces from elite units are conducting simultaneous raids on al Qaeda hideouts and cells on the outskirts of the capital, Sanaa, a Yemeni government official told CNN on Friday.
The raids are part of recent operations to crack down on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, considered the most dangerous wing of the global terror group, and represents the most intense campaign against it since 2012, the official said.
Yemeni military brigades are also besieging areas around Abyan, Shabwa and Baida provinces, slowly attempting to form a security perimeter around those areas by cutting off main roads and supply routes, according to the official.
The official did not provide information about whether another ground operation involving commandos and infantry troops in those areas was imminent.
A crackdown began last weekend, resulting in the deaths of more than 60 suspected al Qaeda militants in Yemen from April 19-21, Yemeni officials have said.
The offensive included attacks by Yemeni commandos and suspected U.S. drone strikes, a high-level Yemeni government official said.
U.S. special operations troops helped during that offensive, in part by flying Yemeni forces to a remote, mountainous spot in southern Yemen, though no Americans took part in combat, a U.S. official said.