Yemeni tribesmen have blown-up an oil pipeline in eastern Yemen, allegedly in response to an attack on one of their chiefs who had been accused of harbouring Al-Qaeda operatives.
The strike targeted a section of the pipeline that runs some 6 km (4 miles) east of Marib. According to witnesses, the assailants first used a bulldozer to expose the pipeline and then blew it up, sparking a blaze that sent black smoke over the site known as ‘Kilometre 40’.
Sources have said that the attack was in retaliation to an army raid at the home of tribal chief Sheikh Nasser Gammad bin Dawham, who stood accused of sheltering Al-Qaeda members.
Yemen has recently seen several attacks on its oil and gas pipelines. On 5 June, 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.
Last month, tribesmen from Marib, where Al-Qaeda has a strong presence, set alight two oil pipelines near the Safar fields, but the authorities have since repaired the damage.