Suspected assassin of Lebanese aid worker killed in Yemen's Taiz
Suspected assassin of Lebanese aid worker killed in Yemen's Taiz
Yemeni security forces launched an offensive on al-Qaeda fighters in Taiz, killing one of the militants accused of murdering a Lebanese aid worker on Saturday.
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Yemeni forces have spent years battling the al-Qaeda presence in the region [Getty]
Three operatives belonging to al-Qaeda were killed in Taiz on Wednesday, during an operation carried out by Yemeni security forces.
"Forces from the security council, in cooperation with army troops, carried out a military operation in the eastern area of the city of Taiz on Wednesday," a security official in Taiz told The New Arab.
At least three members of al-Qaeda were killed during clashes which took place over 48 hours in buildings in the Jomhouri neighbourhood, the source added. One of those killed was named as Hani al-Hout, a prominent member of the militant group.
Al-Hout is one of several accused of the assasination of an aid worker earlier this week.
The other operatives killed were named as Omar Ahmed Abdulrab, Fahmi al-Haimi, and Assad al-Sharjabi.
Clashes have continued to break out in restive southern city of Taiz since the killing of Lebanese aid worker Hanna Lahoud on Saturday.
Five pro-government soldiers were killed and 19 others were wounded in clashes with extremist militants in Taiz on Monday, shortly after Lahoud, who worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross, was gunned down by unidentified assailants.
Fierce clashes broke out in the city's Jahmaliah district after an operation was launched against militants suspected to be behind the murder of the ICRC employee.
Jahmaliah is controlled by pro-government forces but there is a militant presence in the area, a police officer told AFP.
On Sunday, Taiz governor Amin Ahmad Mahmud, loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, created a special force of police and army units tasked with battling militants he believes killed the ICRC employee.
A large portion of Yemen's third city Taiz is held by pro-Hadi fighters, but the entrances to the city are controlled by Houthi rebels.
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