Yemeni Soldiers Killed in Offensive Against Suspected al-Qaida Members

22 September 2010

The offensive is among the most sustained against the militants, who apparently retain control of at least parts of the southern town of Howta.

Thousands of people were able to flee before the attack got under way Monday, but the government alleges some remain and are being used by militants as human shields.

The town is in the southern province of Shabwa, where American-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is believed to be hiding. Government officials say they do not think the cleric, linked to several terrorist attacks and on a U.S. kill or capture list, is among those in Howta.

There have been reports the offensive began in retaliation for a militant attack on a natural gas pipeline in Shabwa, but the area is for the most part off limits to reporters and the reports could not be confirmed.

The campaign coincides with a visit Monday by White House counterterrorism advisor John Brenner. The United States has stepped up its support of the Yemeni government in its fight against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, since it was linked to a failed attempt to blow up an American airplane late last year.

Stephen Steinbeiser is the director of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies in Sana'a. "I will be surprised if the timing was deliberately set for the days that the official was actually in the country. Normally these things happen a day or two before or after, but it is usually not to the advantage of an American officials to come into Yemen when there are actual open conflicts going on in the country," he said.