Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Yemen has reported the foiling of an Al Qaida offensive.

The Defense Ministry said special operations forces repelled attacks by Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in southern Yemen.

The ministry said SOF units regained control of a Yemen Army headquarters in Mukalla, captured two days earlier by AQAP.

“The armed forces have successfully completed the assault on the headquarters of the 2nd military region at Mukalla and have thoroughly cleansed it of terrorist elements.” a Defense Ministry official said.

The ministry, which did not report casualties among soldiers, said all of the AQAP fighters in the Army base were killed. On Sept. 30, AQAP attacked the base with a suicide car bombing that ended with the taking of hostages among Army officers.

“All terrorists who were in the building were annihilated,” ministry said.

The Army has acknowledged an AQAP offensive in the provinces of
Hadramaut and Shabwa. On Sept. 20, Al Qaida was said to have killed at least
56 soldiers in attacks throughout Shabwa.

Western diplomats said the Yemeni military war against AQAP has been
aided by Britain, France and the United States. They said the United States
was directing most of the air strikes against AQAP.

  Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Hadramaut, Mukalla, Shabwa, Yemen Army ‘annihilated’ Al Qaida terrorists at regional HQ