Senior Yemeni army official killed in ambush

PanARMENIAN.Net - A senior Yemeni army official was killed on Saturday, Dec 8, in an ambush by suspected al Qaeda members, while the army battled tribesmen who blew up the country's main oil export pipeline, according to Reuters.

The chief-of-staff for Yemen's central military region in turbulent Maarib province, home to a large portion of the impoverished country's oil, died when gunmen fired on his vehicle, a security official said.

The attackers were probably militants linked to al Qaeda, said the official, who did not want to be identified.

Yemeni troops also launched an offensive in Maarib after an attack on the principal oil pipeline there on Friday. Two officers were killed and four soldiers injured in clashes with tribesmen, according to another security official.

Repairs had begun on the Maarib oil pipeline and power lines just last week after the government reached a deal with tribesmen to stop attacking infrastructure.

Yemen's oil and gas pipelines have been repeatedly sabotaged by Islamist militants or tribesmen since anti-government protests created a power vacuum in 2011, causing fuel shortages and slashing export earnings.