The security authorities said on Friday they had cleared Al-Hawta town in Yemen's Southeastern Shabwa Province of the Al-Qaeda fighters who fought the authorities over this week.
Shabwa Security Director Ahmed Al-Maqdeshi told 26sep.net the army in cooperation with counterterrorism forces launched early today a cleanup operation against the militants, and a hunt was launched for those who escaped to the mountainous areas outside the town.
A commission was formed to make arrangements for the return of the families which fled the battles that started after the botched attack on the LNG pipeline and an ambush against a security patrol that killed 3 soldiers, he added.
Earlier today, head of the Joint Meeting Parties branch in the province Salah Shajera voiced doubts that all fighters who have been fighting the forces in the town were terrorists, saying most of them were members of the separatist movement, Harak, seeking the separation of the south.
The use of force to tackle national problems is not the solution, however, there should be a peaceful and radical solution to Al-Qaeda affiliates from the movement and the opposition, said Shajera, as he expected the battles may stop but resume indirectly.