The offensive was launched weeks after Sanaa began to move troops out of
the north, Middle East Newsline reported. In February 2010, a ceasefire agreement was reached between the
Saleh regime and the Iranian-backed Believing Youth, ending a war that began in
August 2009.
On March 11, Yemeni troops began attacking strongholds of southern
separatists. In one operation, hundreds of troops fought a battle with
insurgents in the southern town of Tor Al Baha. At least one person was
reported killed.
Officials said the separatists have been taking over municipalities in
southern Yemen with the help of local authorities. The separatists were
demanding independence from Sanaa after nearly 20 years of Yemeni unity.
The southern separatists were said to have received support from Al
Qaida, which has expanded its presence in Yemen. The separatists said Yemen
was exploiting the south, which contains most of the nation's energy
facilities, without investing in development.
Authorities have also been arresting suspected Al Qaida insurgents. One
of them was identified as a Somali-American who served with the U.S. Army in
Iraq and was arrested in March 2010. Days later, Sharif Mobley, 26 and a
former employee for U.S. nuclear reactors, was said to have killed a guard
in an attempt to escape a Yemeni hospital.
