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An attack on the Yemeni Presidential Palace by suspected Al-Qaeda militants triggered a fierce gunfight and led to the deaths of five guards, as the militants hit back after the launch of an army offensive aimed to crush them.
President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi was not in the palace when the gunmen attacked at a checkpoint outside the compound. Hadi only uses the palace for meeting in the day and does not live there. The Hadi government has recently increased its efforts in the war against the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
According to sources, other guards 700 meters away from the checkpoint were captured as well. The gunfight lasted for about 20 minutes, with three assailants reported dead.
In a separate incident, Defense Minister Mohamed Nasser, along with two senior security officers, were able to escape unharmed after being ambushed by al-Qaeda gunmen. They were returning from a tour of South Yemen, where the Yemeni army is battling against jihadists.
On April 29th, the army launched an offensive against the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). They had targeted strongholds in three provinces, one in the center and two in the north of the country, and claim that they were able to inflict major damage on the militants. Officials say that several al-Qaeda commanders were among the militants killed in its offensive in the southern provinces.
For days, Sana’a has been on alert as tensions rose after army troops entered the militant stronghold Azzan in the Shabwa province, so much so that the US decided to close its embassy there on Thursday. That very night, security forces killed Shayef Mohammed Said al-Shabwani, an al-Qaeda commander, and one most wanted men in the network, suspected of masterminding the kidnapping of several Western diplomats. Shabwani resisted arrest at a checkpoint near the presidential palace and was killed in the ensuing gunfight.
