Yemen army chief fighting al-Qaeda killed in suicide attackJune 18, 2012 - 17:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Yemeni army commander leading the fight against militants in the south of the country has been killed in a suicide attack, officials say, according to BBC News. Gen Salem Ali Qatan died in the port city of Aden when a suicide bomber attacked the car he was travelling in. Yemen is battling militants linked to al-Qaeda who have taken control of parts of the south of the country. The army has recently recaptured several strongholds in the restive southern province of Abyan. The Yemeni defence ministry said Gen Qatan had been travelling in a three-car convoy when the bomber threw himself at the general's SUV and detonated his explosives. The commander was killed and four security guards and a passer-by seriously wounded, the ministry said. The ministry identified the bomber as a Somali national but gave no further details. Yemeni militants quoted by the Chinese news agency Xinhua on Monday claimed they had assassinated Gen Qatan in response to the army offensive in the south. Gen Qatan was appointed in March shortly after newly elected President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi took office. 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 | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |