This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/world/middleeast/militants-in-yemen-attack-military-targets.html

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Militants in Yemen Attack Military Targets Militants in Yemen Attack Military Targets
(about 2 hours later)
SANA, Yemen — Suspected Al Qaeda militants killed at least 33 government soldiers in what appeared to be a coordinated attack on two military targets in the south of Yemen on Friday, security and military officials said.SANA, Yemen — Suspected Al Qaeda militants killed at least 33 government soldiers in what appeared to be a coordinated attack on two military targets in the south of Yemen on Friday, security and military officials said.
The officials said 25 soldiers were killed when two car bombs exploded at a military camp in al-Nashama, and at least eight soldiers were killed by gunmen in the town of Mayfaa. All of those killed had been assigned to guard the oil and gas fields in southern Shabwa Province, a volatile area and Al Qaeda stronghold where there have been frequent skirmishes between security forces and Islamist militants. The officials said 25 soldiers were killed when two car bombs exploded at a military camp in Al Nashama, and at least eight soldiers were killed by gunmen in the town of Mayfaa. All of those killed had been assigned to guard the oil and gas fields in southern Shabwa Province, a volatile area and Qaeda stronghold where there have been frequent skirmishes between security forces and Islamist militants.
The officials said they believed that members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were responsible for the attacks. The group in Yemen is viewed by the United States and other Western countries as one of the most dangerous affiliates of the global terror network. In recent years, the group has tried to carry out several high-profile attacks, some of them meant to blow up international airliners, and its militants have assassinated dozens of Yemeni security and military officers. The officials said they believed that members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Qaeda affiliate active in Yemen, were responsible for the attacks. The group is viewed by the United States and other Western countries as one of the most dangerous affiliates of the global terror network. In recent years, the group has tried to carry out several high-profile attacks, some meant to blow up international airliners, and its militants have assassinated dozens of Yemeni security and military officers.
The Associated Press, quoting Maj. Raed Mohammed Nasser, said eight militants had died.The Associated Press, quoting Maj. Raed Mohammed Nasser, said eight militants had died.
Residents who said they witnessed the attack in Mayfaa said that the militants surprised the troops in their barracks at dawn in dense fog. Residents who said they witnessed the attack in Mayfaa reported that the militants surprised the troops in their barracks at dawn in dense fog.
Witnesses in the area near al-Nashama, which is about 40 miles from Mayfaa, said that after the bombs were detonated, a drone targeted the two Al Qaeda cars, hitting one and missing the other. They said no bodies had been discovered in the cars. Before the attack, the witnesses said, Al Qaeda militants were seen driving through the surrounding area, armed with machine guns. Witnesses in the area near Al Nashama, which is about 40 miles from Mayfaa, said that after the bombs were detonated, a drone targeted the two Qaeda cars, hitting one and missing the other. They said no bodies had been discovered in the cars. Before the attack, the witnesses said, Qaeda militants were seen driving through the surrounding area, armed with machine guns.
A campaign of American drone strikes and a Yemeni Army offensive have intensified pressure against the Al Qaeda affiliate over the past 18 months, as militants have been pushed out of the territory that had been under their control and back into hiding. But despite that pressure, the group’s affiliate in Yemen has been at the center of a recent intensification in threat levels. A campaign of American drone strikes and a Yemeni Army offensive have intensified pressure against the Al Qaeda affiliate over the past 18 months, as militants have been pushed out of territory that had been under their control and back into hiding. But despite that pressure, the group has been at the center of a recent intensification in threat levels.
Last month, the Obama administration closed nearly two dozen diplomatic missions and issued a worldwide travel alert after the United States intercepted electronic communications in which the head of Al Qaeda ordered the leader of the group’s affiliate in Yemen to carry out an attack, American officials have said. Last month, the Obama administration closed nearly two dozen diplomatic missions and issued a worldwide travel alert after the United States intercepted electronic communications in which the head of Al Qaeda ordered the leader of the Yemen affiliate to carry out an attack, American officials have said.

Nasser Arrabyee reported from Sana and Dan Bilefsky reported from Paris.

Nasser Arrabyee reported from Sana, and Dan Bilefsky from Paris.