Yemen claims victory against al-Qaeda

12 Jun 2012, 8:35 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Al-Qaeda took control of large swaths of southern Yemen during last year's uprising against then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. (AAP)

Al-Qaeda took control of large swaths of southern Yemen during last year's uprising against then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. (AAP)

Yemen says it has captured an al-Qaeda stronghold and has taken a vital highway that links Jaar with the port city of Aden.

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Yemen troops have regained control of a key al-Qaeda stronghold in a surprise dawn attack, recording their first major triumph in more than a year, witnesses and the military say.

Military officials said Tuesday's attack on Jaar followed hours of heavy shelling from hilltop positions. At dawn, troops and allied tribesmen entered the town from three different fronts in trucks.

Dozens of tanks were used to block the town's entry and exit points.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, General Mohammed al-Quton, was quoted by the Yemeni state-news agency as saying 20 "terrorists" were killed and four soldiers were "martyred".

He said troops also regained control over a vital highway that links Jaar with the port city of Aden after it was blocked for more than a year.

The officials and witnesses said that some 500 al-Qaeda militants fled the town after spraying the town's walls and store shutters with graffiti saying: "Al-Qaeda has withdrawn. Al-Qaeda was not defeated."

SABA said the militants fled to the nearby coastal town of Shaqra, another al-Qaeda stronghold.

After troops swept into Jaar, residents looted warehouses filled with humanitarian supplies delivered by relief groups while others gathered in the town centre to welcome the troops.

They fired in the air in celebration, according to Waleed Mohammed, a resident contacted by telephone from Sanaa, the Yemen capital.

Al-Qaeda took control of large swaths of southern Yemen during last year's turmoil linked to the uprising against then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down in February as part of a US-backed deal put forward by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies.

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