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 黑料社楰ilometre 40黑料社�.
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.