SANAA, 30 Jul -- In an audio recording posted on Islamist websites on Thursday, al-Qaeda wing in Yemen claimed responsibility for a spate of attacks against security forces in Yemen and threatened more.  Addressing intelligence agencies in the country, the statement said the wing was forming an army of 12,000 strong men in the south, adding “this darkly-blooded message is addressed to the officers and soldiers of the Political Security Organization and the National Security Agency ... by God our menacing swords are pointed and by God’s leave, we intend to cleanse earth of your filth and harm.”

SANAA, 12 Jul -- Freelance journalist Abdulillah Hidar Shaya who specializes in al-Qaeda reporting Monday said after his release “I was kidnapped by the security services,” adding “they interrogated me for five continuous hours in a bedroom somewhere in a villa near the Political Security Organization in the capital,” News Yemen website said.  He said “I was blindfolded and handcuffed during the entire interrogation session and they asked me about my statements to several newspapers, TV channels and international news agencies regarding al-Qaeda network”

AMRAN, 03 July -- Zaydi Shiite rebels in north Yemen Friday blew up an old house in the region of Magam Aziz in Harf Sufian killing three people, the ministry of interior said in a statement posted on its website.  The house is owned by pro-government chieftain, Sheik Sageer Aziz and the statement said “the crime committed by the Houthis killed Ghilan Salah Musfer, al-Mantaser Abu-Risha and Ali Yahya Jabran,” and described the attack as an “act of sabotage,” adding “Interior Minister Rashad al-Masri has directed security officials in Amran to file a detailed report on the incident.”

MARIB, 28 May -- The tribes of Abyda in the eastern region of Marib Friday accepted arbitration offered by the President in the killing of Marib’s deputy governor and secretary general of local council, Sheik Jaber al-Shabwani, al-Masder Online said.  Al-Shabwani and three of his escorts were killed in an airstrike last Monday while he was negotiating with al-Qaeda members in the region to surrender to authorities.

SANAA, 20 Dec – Several members of Parliament Sunday demanded an inquiry at the government’s alleged operation against al-Qaeda suspects in Abyan in which at least 35 women and children were killed.  Member Ali Ashal said “information we have so far indicate that 44 women and children lost their lives in the airstrike,” stressing “the state has no other option but to tell people the truth about what happened,” and demanded “the setup of a committee to investigate and tell us how many al-Qaeda members were actually killed in the operation.”  Member Muhammad Naji al-Sheif urged the state to declare

SANAA, 15 Dec – In a 73-page report published Tuesday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Yemeni government used inappropriate and at times lethal force to quell protests in south Yemen.  The report titled: “In the Name of Unity: The Yemeni Government’s Brutal Response to Southern Movement Protests,”