Yemen today declared open war on al-Qaeda and warned its citizens against aiding the global militant group, but Islamist clerics threatened jihad if foreign military forces intervene.
Yemen has come under pressure to act against al-Qaeda since attacks on its two main allies, Saudi Arabia and the United States, by militants coming from Yemeni soil.
But facing an array of other threats, weak state control of much of the country, a burgeoning population and a weak economy, analysts say Yemen will need more than military might to stop the country from being a fertile breeding ground for militancy.
"The war security forces launched against al-Qaeda elements is open whenever or wherever we find these elements," the Yemeni Defence Ministry's online newspaper September 26 said, quoting an unnamed security source.
"The source warned citizens against hiding any elements from the al-Qaeda organisation, calling for co-operation with the security apparatus and for them to inform on any elements."
Yemeni security forces scoured rugged mountains for a second day using helicopters to hunt for some 25 suspected al-Qaeda militants who fled raids on Tuesday in the southeastern province of Shabwa, security sources said. Violence also flared in a separate conflict with Shias in the north.
Yemen had already intensified operations against al Qaeda since a Yemen-based wing of the group said it was behind a failed December 25th attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound US airliner. But the US attack has given the campaign new impetus.
On top of the fight against al-Qaeda in multiple provinces, Yemen is also battling a northern Shia insurgency and trying to contain separatist sentiment in the south.
The United States and Saudi Arabia fear al-Qaeda will take advantage of Yemen's instability to spread its operations to the neighbouring kingdom, the world's top oil exporter, and beyond.
Reuters