SANA'A: A top al-Qaeda in Yemen leader was reportedly killed in a local family dispute in the eastern province of al-Bida, news reports indicated. Tariq al-Dahab was shot dead by his half-brother Hazam inside a mosque, said Yemeni news website Mareb Press. Two companions of Dahab were also killed in the attack, the report added. No cause was immediately cited for the attack. The killing comes as al-Qaeda and other militant groups in Yemen continue to have near daily violent clashes, which has led to security vacuum in much of the country, still reeling from the uprising that ousted President Ali Abdallah Saleh and comes less than two weeks ahead of a presidential vote in the country. Dahab is a relative of al-Qaeda's spiritual leader in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a US airstrike last year. Last month Dahab, commanding a battalion of insurgents, seized the town of Rada'a, some 150 kilometers southeast of the capital Sana'a, before releasing it again following tribal mediation. Militants – believed to be affiliated to al-Qaeda – have taken advantage of a year of political turmoil in Yemen to expand their influence in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country. The opposition has accused outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh of manipulating the threat of extremists to seek support from the West and extend his stay in power, despite months of protests against him. ** with dpa BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/yAS9C Tags: Al Qaeda, Dispute, Killing, Leader Section: Latest News, Yemen
