Yemen Airforce Raids Suspected Qaida Positions

Yemeni warplanes on Sunday launched a series of raids against suspected al-Qaida positions in Hadramawt province, a hotbed of jihadist attacks on troops, a military official said.

The raids on the outskirts of Qoton coincided with a visit to the town in southeast Yemen by Defense Minister General Mohammed Nasser Ahmed to inspect troops preparing to launch an offensive against the growing jihadist presence in Hadramawt, the source said.

The military official said the raids caused casualties but could not provide a toll.

During his tour, the defense minister vowed his forces will "avenge the 15 soldiers executed" by al-Qaida on Friday after they were seized near the Hadramawt town of Shibam, according to another army official.

On Thursday, 11 suspected al-Qaida militants and four Yemeni soldiers were killed in attacks on two army posts in Qoton and Sayun, a jihadist stronghold in Hadramawt.

The army had reinforced its positions in Hadramawt ahead of the anticipated operation against militants in the province.

On Wednesday, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for several attacks in the south and southeast of Yemen that killed 20 soldiers.

AQAP is considered by Washington as the most dangerous affiliate of the jihadist network.

The group is active across several parts of Yemen, taking advantage of a collapse of central authority during a 2011 uprising that ousted veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In late April, the army launched a ground offensive against AQAP in the southern provinces of Shabwa and Abyan.