The security forces are cordoning Yemen's business capital Aden to protect it from terrorist operations, Defense Minister Muhammad Nasser Ahmed said on Saturday, as the battles between the army and Islamists continued in Abyan.
In his exceptional meeting with security and local leaders in Aden, the minister said that what Yemen is passing through has affected the lives of the people across the republic.
"Aden is really experiencing unusual circumstances due to the situations in nearby cities. The battles between the army and Al-Qaeda in Abyan have led to the killing and injuring of many terrorists, but at the same time have forced many families to flee to Aden," he said.
Government bodies, civil society organizations and political parties should work together to maintain security and peace in Yemen and in particular in Aden, he urged.
There are terrorist groups seeking to drag Aden into violence and to attack key public installations but the security authorities will face them, he said, as he pointed to the crises plaguing the country.
Sabotage acts were behind the acute fuel, power and water crises and the Yemeni people knew that saboteurs had attacked the main oil pipeline, electric power station and power towers in Marib, he said.
"The government is now repairing damages from these sabotage acts to alleviate the suffering of the people. Furthermore, the government is determined to put an end to the fuel crisis through hunting those involved in selling oil, benzene and diesel to the black market," he said.
In Aden, the government will build more tanks in various districts, mainly mountainous areas, to supply water, he concluded.