Oil pipeline blown up in eastern Yemen: Tribal sources

Tribesmen blew up an oil pipeline in eastern Yemen,in retaliation for an attack on one of their chiefs accused of harbouring Al-Qaeda operatives,tribal sources said.

Tribesmen blew up an oil pipeline in eastern Yemen on Saturday,in retaliation for an attack on one of their chiefs accused of harbouring Al-Qaeda operatives,tribal sources said.

The sabotage targeted a section of the pipeline that runs about six kilometers east of Marib,capital of the province of the same name,the sources said.

Witnesses said the assailants first used a bulldozer to expose the pipeline before blowing it up,sparking a blaze which sent a column of black smoke over the site known as “Kilometre 40.”

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It was not immediately clear what impact the attack would have on Yemen’s oil production.

The sources said the attack was retaliation for an army raid on the home of a tribal chief,Sheikh Nasser Gammad bin Dawham,who stood accused of sheltering Al-Qaeda members. They gave no details on the raid.

On June 5,a Yemeni colonel and two soldiers were killed in an attack by suspected Al-Qaeda members near the city of Marib as they travelled in convoy to inspect military forces stationed in the Safar oilfield.

Tribesmen from Marib,where Al-Qaeda has a strong presence,last month set ablaze two oil pipelines near the Safer fields but the authorities have since repaired the damage.

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Yemen is the ancestral homeland of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and has been the site several attacks claimed by the group on foreign missions,tourist sites and oil installations.

The group has suffered setbacks amid US pressure on Sanaa to crack down.