Yemen's conflicts flare amid al-Qaida fight

[StarfarerBill]

Source: Associated Press

SAN'A, Yemen – While ramping up the fight against al-Qaida with U.S. help, the Yemeni government has also escalated its own internal conflicts in the north and south that threaten to throw the fractured country into greater chaos and even nourish the terror group's growth.

Yemeni troops backed with tanks and artillery launched new assaults against Shiite rebels, the military said Saturday, the latest offensive in an increasingly bloody war that has been raging for years on the capital's northern doorstep.

Also, lethal clashes erupted this week between protesters and security forces struggling to put an end to a secessionist movement in the once-independent south, where bitterness toward San'a is swelling.

Observers question if the impoverished nation's military can wage a determined campaign against al-Qaida under the strain of the multiple conflicts, and there are fears the terror group is seeking to link up with insurgents for new recruits, particularly in the south.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_yemen_al_qaida