Yemen arrests two al-Qaeda cells, blames it of assassinating Intelligence officer

By Mohammed al-Kibsi Colonel Mahmoud Saleh al-Tawous was assassinated few meters away of his house in al-Huta, the provincial capital of the southern province of Lahj, said security source on Wednesday. Al-Tawous was driving a black Vitara car when a suspected al-Qaeda militant that was riding a motorbike shot him dead and escaped away, said a sources close to the family of the assassinated officer. Meanwhile security sources said that the brother of the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was killed along with five other al-Qaeda militants during the confrontations between the government forces and al-Qaeda militants in Abyan province in the past few days. The sources said that Abdulrahman al-Wahishi, a younger brother of head of AQAP Nasser al-Wahishi was among five people killed in the latest of a series of battles raging for days in Abyan province. Locals from Lahj province said there is increasing concern among the public in Lahj southern province that it may become a copy of Abyan province that witnessed many assassinations committed by al-Qaeda motobikers before the whole province of Abyan fell under the control of Al Qaeda last May. Earlier on Tuesday, the government arrested 7 Al Qaeda operatives in the southern province of Shabwah before they implemented their plan to assassinate officials and attack installations in the capital of Shabwah, Atak. The interior ministry also announced capturing 6 members of al-Qaeda cell among them was the Emir of al-Qaeda in al-Jawf province. The statements issued by the security authorities said that this cell was in charge of attacking a SKorean convoy near Sana’a international airport in 2009. It also stated that the captured cell was planning to launch terrorist attacks in the capital Sana’a, targeting Yemeni and foreign officials as well as some Arab and foreign interests.