50 Yemenis, Most Civilians, Killed in Raids and Air Strikes on Al-Ma'ajala, South of the Country

Yemen raids 'kill 24 al-Qaeda militants'

Press TV, Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:54:40 GMT

The Yemeni military claims it has killed at least 28 (alleged mythical) al-Qaeda militants and captured 17 others in operations in the southern parts of the country.

The Thursday operations backed by air strikes in a training camp for the militants in the Abyan village of Al-Ma'ajala, some 480 kilometers (300 miles) southeast of Sana'a killed least 28 Al-Qaeda militants, Yemeni security forces said, according to a government web site.

The dead included foreigners, they added.

“The operation led to the foiling of an al Qaeda plan aiming to hit foreign and local interests and schools, including eight suicide bombers who were preparing explosive belts to carry out the plan,” Reuters quoted a Yemeni security source as claiming.

The official account of the incident however contradicted what witnesses said. They said the air raids killed at least 50 people -- including an unknown number of civilians.

Yemeni local officials also confirmed that the blitz targeted a civilian neighborhood “by mistake.”

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