Yemen says IS spokesman killed in joint anti-terror operation

Aden (Yemen): Yemen’s government said Tuesday that the spokesman for the Islamic State (IS) terror group was killed in a joint counterterrorism operation involving Yemeni forces and special forces from the Saudi-led coalition.

The state-run Saba TV channel, citing the Central State Security Agency, reported that Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, a senior IS figure and the group’s official spokesman, was killed during an operation that had initially sought to capture him.

The operation was carried out by special forces from the Saudi-led coalition with support from Yemen’s 22nd Counterterrorism Unit, according to the report. The agency did not disclose the location of the operation or provide further details about the circumstances of al-Ansari’s death, Xinhua News Agency reported.

A local military source told Xinhua that the raid was carried out at around 1:30 a.m. local time (2230 GMT Monday) in Seiyun, a city in Yemen’s southeastern Hadramout province, targeting an old mud-brick house in the al-Hawta neighbourhood where al-Ansari was staying.

Al-Ansari was wounded and captured during the raid but later died of his injuries, the source said, adding that another person inside the house was also killed. The operation was backed by drones, according to the source.

Local residents told Xinhua that explosions were heard in Seiyun around the time of the raid.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State have exploited years of conflict and instability in Yemen to maintain a presence, particularly in parts of the country’s southern and eastern regions.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government forces said, they had intercepted four explosive-laden boats operated by the Houthi group as they attempted to approach government-held islands near international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

The state-run Saba news agency, citing a military source, reported that the boats attempted to approach the strategic Hanish Islands and Zuqar Island before being intercepted by government naval forces.

The source said further movements of Houthi boats were detected at different times on Sunday and Monday as they attempted to approach the islands, which overlook key international shipping routes in the southern Red Sea.

The Houthis have yet to comment on the reported incidents.

IANS