Rebels member arrested on drugs and weapons charges in Yemen
By Sarah Arzuaga and Elisha Fielding in Aden
SANA, Oct 25 (Reuters) — Three rebel fighters held by Yemeni army troops on Monday arrested two former fighters on drug trafficking charges and seized a military jet which was taken away, according to an official and a military spokesman.
The militants, who were linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and also to al Qaeda, had reportedly clashed with army and police forces during a police crackdown on several anti-government demonstrations near the southern port city of Aden in July.
Residents said about 40 fighters from the Awamiya Front were in custody in Aden on Monday after they allegedly tried to fly to the capital Sanaa, the sources said.
A military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Abdo al-Sharaa, said Awamiya Front and fighters in other parts다낭 카지노 of the country including North Aden and the al-Bajai area would be charged as terrorists later this week.
One of the militants, Abu Bakr al-Mashbahi, a fighter who quit when al Qaeda began to rise in the wake of the Arab Spring, told the security service at the time that his case was still under investigation.
A witness told al Jazeera his brother, a senior figure in the Yemeni army, had surrendered after being seized by members of the Awamiya Front. «He confessed that he wa카지노 블로그s part of Awamiya and that he had been killed three years ago by the army at the battle of Hodeidah in which an army commander was killed with his weapons when he came out,» the witness said.
A Yemeni security source confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday that members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had attacked army installations in Aden and Sabra an더킹카지노d arrested dozens of officers and soldiers.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Aden on Wednesday for talks with President Hadi, who has not been in the city during his six-year rule.
«Our relationship between the United States and the Government of Yemen remains strong. We stand with the People of Yemen in their struggle against those who seek to undermine their sovereign country, their people, and their democracy,» Biden said in a statement. (Reporting By Sarah Arzuaga; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Robert Birsel and Michael Perry)
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