Troops sent to al-Qaida strongholds in Yemen

Security officials today said Yemen has deployed several hundred extra troops to two mountainous eastern provinces that are al-Qaida’s main strongholds in the country.

The officials say the reinforcements were sent yesterday to Marib and Jouf provinces, where al-Qaida’s presence is believed to be strongest and where the central government has little control.

The US has intensified security aid to Yemen in a bid to combat the growing presence of al-Qaida in the Arab nation.

US President Barack Obama today said al Qaida’s branch in Yemen was behind a failed attempt to blow up a US plane on Christmas Day.