17 killed in Yemen fighting after al-Qaeda leader slain

Feb 16, 2012, 15:46 GMT

Sana'a - At least 17 people were killed Thursday in clashes in eastern Yemen after a leading al-Qaeda operative was gunned down by his brother, said local sources.

The fighting erupted between loyalists and opponents of Tariq al-Dahab, who was killed by his half-brother Hazam al-Dahab in the eastern province of Al Baida, reported the broadcaster Al Arabiya, citing tribal sources.

Hazem shot Tariq dead inside a mosque in the town of Al Masaneh, said Yemeni news website Mareb Press. Two companions of Tariq were also reportedly killed in the attack.

Al-Qaeda insurgents then fired rockets at Hazam's house, also in Masaneh, killing him and two other relatives.

A gunbattle then broke out between the two sides, in which 17 people were killed. Government forces did not intervene to stop the gunbattle, according to Al Arabiya.

There was no clear cause for the attack on Tariq, though an unnamed tribal authority told Al Arabiya Hazam had killed him at the behest of Yemeni authorities.

There was no official comment on the incident.

Tariq's killing came hours after five local officials, including an army general, were killed in Al Baida in an ambush believed to have been mounted by al-Qaeda.

Tariq is a relative of al-Qaeda's spiritual leader in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a US airstrike last year.

Last month Tariq, commanding a battalion of insurgents, seized the town of Rada'a, some 150 kilometres south-east of the capital Sana'a, before releasing it again following tribal mediation.

Militants - believed to be affiliated to al-Qaeda - have taken advantage of a year of political turmoil in Yemen to expand their influence in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.

The opposition has accused outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh of manipulating the threat of extremists to seek support from the West and extend his stay in power, despite months of protests against him.