Sana#39;a, Yemen — Yemeni warplanes and artillery strikes killed 20 al-Qaida-linked militants Wednesday in the country’s south, according to the Defense Ministry and military officials.
The ministry said an air raid targeted a militant communications station near the southern coastal town of Shaqra early Wednesday, killing three and wounding seven.
Military officials say the station was used by the militants to direct operations using the Internet, wireless communications and a satellite telephone.
Elsewhere, clashes in the town of Jaar, an al-Qaida stronghold, left 17 fighters and six soldiers dead and injured 12 over 24 hours. The army was conducting an offensive against the town, which has been in al-Qaida’s hands for more than a year.
The army “fought a fierce two-hour [battle] with terrorists,” a statement said, adding that army engineers defused land mines planted by al-Qaida militants.
Residents who fled Jaar said al-Qaida militants were using heavy weaponry, including tanks.
Mahdi Nasser, who fled Wednesday morning, said there has been constant shelling for two days, and most residents have fled in fear. He said he saw army positions 2.5 miles outside Jaar.
Officials said that in recent days, the military tried to advance toward Jaar but encountered fierce resistance.
Jaar is in Abyan province, where al-Qaida controls the provincial capital, Zinjibar.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.
Backed by the U.S., Yemen’s army is pursuing a wide offensive against al-Qaida in several parts of the south, after the militant group took control during a year of political turmoil that accompanied an uprising against longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Hitting back, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a military parade rehearsal in the capital, Sana, on May 21, leaving nearly 100 dead. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack.
EGYPT
Hosni Mubarak’s two sons were accused Wednesday of insider trading in a new case opened just three days before they and their elderly father were to hear the verdict in a separate trial on charges of corruption and complicity in killing protesters during last year’s uprising.
The ousted Egyptian president and his two sons, the one-time heir apparent Gamal and wealthy businessmanAlaa, are already on trial on separate charges of corruption.
They have all been in prison since April 2011, two months after an 18-day uprising forced Mubarak to step down after 29 years in office.
Mubarak, 84 and ailing, faces additional charges of complicity in the deaths of some 900 protesters during the uprising. But his sons are not charged in the protester killings.
The former leader could get the death penalty if convicted on the charges linked to killing protesters.
A statement by the prosecutor-general’s office on the new charges said the Mubarak sons, along with seven others, made 2 billion Egyptian pounds in illicit gains - about $330 million at current rates. Their actions violated central bank and stock market regulations, it said.
The nine are accused of conspiring to stealthily buy a controlling 80 percent stake in Watan Bank in 2006 without declaring their share to the stock market authority, it added.
They later traded its shares through closed funds and investment companies based abroad.
TUNISIA
Tunisia’s judiciary went on open-ended strike Wednesday to protest the government’s removal of 82 judges for corruption and ties to the previous regime.
The judges called for the Justice Ministry to revoke its decision, describing the move as unjust and not giving those targeted a chance to defend themselves.
Justice Ministry spokesman Mondher Bendhiafi said Sunday in an interview that the judges targeted were “beyond the shadow of a doubt” involved in passing judgments to enrich family members of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was overthrown last year.
Information for this article was contributed by Hamza Hendawi of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 7 on 05/31/2012