Sanaa: Fourteen suspected Al-Qaeda members, including senior figures, have surrendered in the restive southern province of Abyan, Yemen`s Defence Ministry and a source close to the governor said today.
"Fourteen Al-Qaeda members have surrendered to Abyan`s governor Ahmed al-Mayassari," said the Ministry`s website, 26sep.net, citing a security official. Five of them are leaders of the network`s local branch in Abyan, a source close to Mayassari told AFP.
Last month, another 15 suspected members of Al-Qaeda surrendered to Abyan`s governor.
Yemen is under renewed pressure to eliminate Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a local franchise, after explosives were found in air parcels headed for the United States sent from its territory by suspected Al-Qaeda militants.
Abyan and adjacent Shabwa province have become major fields of operation for Al-Qaeda as the central government in Sanaa struggles to impose its control on the region`s heavily armed tribes.
PTI
