Al-Qaida surprise attack kills 20 Yemeni

[IamK]

Source: Associated Press

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants staged a surprise attack Monday on a Yemeni army base in the south, killing 20 soldiers and capturing 25 just hours after a U.S. drone strike killed a senior figure in the terror network wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.

It was not immediately clear if the pre-dawn attack on the military base in the southern Abyan province was in retaliation for the death of Fahd al-Quso, a top al-Qaida leader on the FBI's most wanted list.

The militants managed to reach the base both from the sea and by land, gunning down troops and making away with weapons and other military hardware after the blitz attack, Yemeni military officials said.

Government forces later shelled militant positions elsewhere in Abyan, killing 16 militants, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iUjpp3Oa6oTLUEqW1-7oU_gSJOcw?docId=891f126ccd454599a252dd2ac3ee685f

[sofa king]

1. Surprise! There's a place called Yemen.

I couldn't help myself. Actually, Yemen's strategic importance, positioned on the Indian Ocean between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, is very, very high. That no doubt is why al Q wishes to destabilize the situation there.

[Art_from_Ark]

2. Yemen doesn't need Al Q to be unstable

Half the country lives below the poverty level, 80% of the male population and 50% of the female population 15 and over is addicted to khat, and 40% of the potable water in the country is devoted to khat production, with all water resources being exploited beyond their ability to recharge.