Al Qaeda Yemen leader vows to free jailed militantsAugust 12, 2013 - 11:49 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The leader of al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, said he would free jailed Islamist militants soon, days after the United States shut missions across the Middle East because of the threat of an attack, possibly from Yemen, according to Reuters. Wuhayshi did not say in his Internet statement how he would free those jailed, but al Qaeda militants staged at least two prison breaks last month. Intercepted communication between Wuhayshi and Ayman al-Zawahri, who replaced Osama bin Laden as head of al Qaeda, was part of intelligence that prompted the United States to close 19 U.S. embassies and send some staff in Yemen home. Washington has also stepped up drone strikes targeting militants in Yemen. "We ask God to make us a cause for unlocking your incarceration and relieving your agony," Wuhayshi, head of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), said in the statement seen on Monday on a website used by Islamists. "Your brothers are pounding the walls of injustice and the thrones of oppression. These walls and thrones are coming down every day and victory is but one step. Victory is one hour of perseverance," said Wuhayshi, a former aide to bin Laden who broke out of a prison in Yemen in 2006. The authenticity of the statement could not immediately be verified. The United States regards AQAP, formed by the merger of the Yemeni and Saudi branches of al Qaeda, as one of the most dangerous militant groups in the Middle East. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for simultaneous raids on two Iraqi prisons, setting more than 500 inmates free in July. On July 27, more than 1,000 inmates broke out of a prison on the outskirts of Benghazi in Libya, following what an official said was an attack on the facility. It was not clear who was behind the assault. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |