The assassination of local al-Qaeda leader in Yemen sparked on Thursday deadly clashes in the southeast of the country.
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| Tarek al-Dahab, seated, was killed on Thursday by his brother |
The assassination of local al-Qaeda leader in Yemen sparked on Thursday deadly clashes in the southeast of the country.
17 people were killed in the clashes that erupted after Tarek al-Dahab was shot dead by his half-brother Hizam in the town of Al-Masaneh, a family fiefdom in Bayda province, several tribal chiefs said.
These sources said that the killer and his brother were among the 17 killed in the gunfights.
"Al-Qaeda gunmen fired rockets at the house of Hizam killing him and his brother Majid, as well as their nephew Ahmed," one chief said.
Eleven armed tribesmen were killed when the vehicle transporting them was also targeted, the sources said.
Clashes continued throughout the afternoon, tribesmen said.
"We will cleanse Al-Masaneh of Al-Qaeda after the killing of Tarek al-Dahab," Basil al-Salami, a member of Al-Qaifa tribe which is involved in the battles against al-Qaeda in the town, told Agence France Press.
"Our tribes fear Al-Qaeda which poses a danger to our region. We will never allow our villages to be targeted by US strikes like Abyan and Shabwa," said an Al-Qaifa tribal chief, referring to two provinces where Yemeni troops backed by US drones have been battling extremists.
A tribal chief said that Hizam was "pushed by authorities" to kill Dahab who had in January taken over control of the town of Radah, about 130 kilometers southeast of Sanaa, and 30 kilometers from Al-Masaneh.
