Yemen: 17 dead in fighting between al Qaeda members

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At least 17 people Thursday were killed in clashes between members of al-Qaeda following the death of a local leader of Al Qaeda by his half-brother in the province of Bayda, southeast of Sanaa, reported tribal sources. According to tribal leaders, clashes erupted after Tarek al-Dahab was shot dead in late Wednesday night by his half-brother, Hizam in the city of Al-Manasah.

His brother and their nephew Ahmad Majed are among the 17 people killed, according to the sources. They died in a bombing attack on their house by supporters of Tarek, said a source.

According to another tribal source, Hizam al-Dahab has acted, in the killing of his half-brother, "at the instigation of the Yemeni authorities.".

Tarek al-Dahab was the brother in law of the Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was assassinated in September by a U.S. raid.

His men had taken control of Radah, some 130 km from Sana'a on January 16. However, later they withdrew under pressure from the tribes of the city and in exchange they gained the release of five of their prisoners.

According to an official in the region, the followers of Tarek al-Dahab are members of the "Partisans of Sharia", which operates under the name of Al-Qaeda in southern and eastern Yemen.

In May, the "Supporters of Sharia" took control pf Zinjibar, the capital of the southern province of Abyan, then extended their control to other communities across the province and the neighboring Shabwa.

Eight soldiers were wounded at dawn Thursday in clashes with Islamist insurgents in the northern suburbs of Zinjibar, AFP reported.