HOUTA (Arrahmah.com) – Early morning of June 15, the Mujahideen of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula began storming Houta, the main town of the province Lahj, located next to the Islamic Emirate of Abyan (former province of Abyan).
The Associated Press writes that the Mujahideen are expanding their control in southern Yemen.
The troops of the Saleh’s regime repeatedly tried to storm the Mujahideen-liberated towns – mainly Zinjibar and Jaar. However, the fighters of al-Qaeda not only defended the city, but also made a powerful attack on the province Lahj. Mujahideen units entered its capital on Wednesday.
They launched a surprise dawn attack on it, taking control of several provincial neighborhoods.
The battle proceeded for the whole day, forcing stores to close and residents to stay home.
At the end of the day, the Mujahideen made a tactical maneuver, leaving the town and taking position on farmland close to southern outskirts of the town and environs.
Commentators believe that the assault on Houta was a show of force by the Mujahideen.
At the same time, officials of the puppet Saleh’ regime said on Wednesday morning that Yemeni puppet soldiers were attacked by the Mujahideen of al-Qaeda also in a major southern port city of Aden, the business capital of Yemen.
Attack on Aden prompted Yemen puppet defense minister Muhammad Ahmad Nosir to express concern about the ability of its “law enforcement agencies” keep control over Aden. At a meeting with governmental and police chiefs of the city, he urged them to unite to protect themselves.
Meanwhile, Somali Muslims took part in the storming of Houta, according to witnesses. Lahj is a home to many refugees from Somalia, there were several thousand of them there. Residents reported that the Somalis they saw do not speak Arabic. This confirms a close relationship and interaction between the Mujahideen of Yemen and Somalia.
Local sources indicate that in the captured town the city, the Mujahideen met little resistance from puppet military and police. Puppet governor of province Lahj is not in his office for 3 days already. Ringleader of local infidel-enforcement agencies of Lahj was fired earlier this week.
The statement by the Saleh’s information minister, Hasan al-Lawzi, is interesting in connection with recent events in Yemen. On Wednesday, at a press conference in Sana’a, after a meeting with US ambassador Feierstein, he stated that the war against al-Qaeda was not a guerrilla war.
“This is a war between regular troops, and not guerrilla attacks. They have a lot of fighters and weapons. They want to expand the territory of their Islamic Emirate and to isolate the southern region of the country. Al-Qaeda wants to control commercial routes of Yemen”, information minister of the Saleh’s regime Hasan al-Lawzi claims.
source : kavkaz center
