SANA'A: At least four al-Shabaab fighters, the Somali al-Qaeda wing, were arrested by Yemeni authorities in Yemen's southern province of Abyan. Yemen Interior Ministry said in its website that the four Somalis were captured on the road running between Lahj and Abyan provinces. Recent news mentioned that al-Shabaab, had sent 300 armed men to fight alongside the Yemen-based wing of the militant network, Ansar al Shariah in a bid to assert the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate over the country and turn the region into a power-plate. Residents in Abyan confirmed the arrival of more than 300 Somalis to Shaqera a coastal town over the past two months, confirming fears that the 2 networks would be working as partners. Connections between Ansar al-Sahriah militants in Yemen and al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia have taken place in the past. Al-Shabaab has bought weapons and explosives from Al Qaeda contacts in Yemen using money issued from piracy and kidnap-for-ransom schemes. The current unrest in both countries, Yemen and Somalia allowed the two groups to move freely across one another borders. A report published last year, stated that the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had provided weapons, fighters and training with explosives to a militant Islamic group battling for power in Somalia. The report stated that the leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen also have urged members of the hard-line al-Shabaab militia to attack targets outside Africa for the first time. Actually, the heads of Al Qaeda in Yemen, acted at times as Bin Laden's go-betweens to the Somali fighters. Among those who tried to forge the alliance was Nasir Wahayshi, an AQAP leader who previously operated as Bin Laden's personal secretary. In January 2011, Bin Laden and his aides agreed to elevate al-Shabab to the same status as Al Qaeda franchises based in Yemen, Iraq and North Africa. But the Shabaab's leaders did not adopt the Al Qaeda brand name, fearing it would fracture the group and draw more attention from Western intelligence groups. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/mxt1d Tags: Arrest, Militants, Somali, Yemen Section: East Africa, Latest News, Yemen
