Yemen: Three Al-Qaida Militants Captured

18 January 2010

The Yemeni Defense Ministry says it has captured three al-Qaida militants near Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia.

The ministry said Saturday the three men were carrying explosives and arms, and were disguised in military uniforms.

They said the men were arrested in the northern border area of Alb.

The arrests come one day after Yemeni security officials said an airstrike had killed six members of the group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, including the group's military chief who had escaped from a Yemeni prison in 2006.

Separately, rebels with the Shi'ite Zaidi sect claimed Saturday they shot down a Saudi military helicopter in Yemen.

The rebels, also known as Houthis, said they downed the aircraft Friday, as it was approaching the strategic border area of Jebel Dukhan.

Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for a response to the claim.

Saudi Arabia launched an offensive against the rebels in November, after the Houthis killed two Saudi guards in a cross-border raid.

The rebels, who are based in the northern region, are also battling Yemeni forces. They accuse the predominantly Sunni country of marginalizing them.