Al-Qaeda speak out at Yemen rally

22/12/2009| IslamWeb

Suspected al-Qaeda commanders have appeared at an anti-government rally in southern Yemen, held at the site of an air raid in which dozens of civilians are thought to have been killed.

Al Jazeera broadcast footage of an unmasked man and his armed compatriot telling the crowd that al-Qaeda's fight was with the US, which US media reports said provided hardware and intelligence for the raid.

"We carry bombs for God's enemies," the man said at the rally, which took place on Monday.

"Soldiers, you should know that we do not want to fight you. There is no problem between you and us. The problem is between America and its agents. Beware taking the side of America."

Yemen's government has tried to tackle al-Qaeda in the country but its focus has been split by a Shia uprising in the north and rising secessionist sentiment in the south.

Civilian deaths

The rally took place in southern Abyan province in an area that was bombed in an air raid last week.

Dozens of civilians, including children are also though to have been killed in the raid.

Abbas al-Assal, a local human rights activist, said at the time that 64 people were killed, including 23 children and 17 women.

The New York Times newspaper said on Saturday that the US gave military hardware, intelligence and other support to Yemeni forces to carry out the attack.

Supporters of Yemen's so-called Southern Movement, which calls for independence and accuses the government in Sanaa of sidelining the south, participated in the rally which marked the bombing, calling for an investigation into the attack.

An explosion disrupted the rally and killed three people. The cause of the blast was unclear, though it has been blamed on a cache of unexploded munitions.

PHOTO CAPTION

Yemeni soldiers flashing the V for 'victory' sign.

Al-Jazeera