ADEN, Yemen, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A high-ranking officer of the Yemeni army forces was kidnapped early Thursday by al-Qaida militants in the war-torn southern province of Abyan, a security official told Xinhua.
Armed men of the al-Qaida terrorist group intercepted the military vehicle of Colonel Ahmed Saleh Jumlani of the 201st Armored Army Brigade in the coastal city of Shaqra and took him to an unknown destination, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Military armored vehicles were deployed to search for the kidnapped officer in the neighboring areas, the official said.
On Wednesday, leading al-Qaida members gave the Yemeni army 10 days to retreat from the outskirts of Zinjibar and threatened to launch attacks in the country's southern provinces.
Abyan, some 480 km south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, has been the scene of daily fierce fighting after hundreds of militants from the Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) captured Zinjibar and at least three other towns in May 2011.
The country's worsening domestic situation was taken advantage of by al-Qaida who attacked on military officials and government buildings in Yemen's southern and eastern provinces.
Newly-elected President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi vowed to strengthen security and intelligence cooperation with the United States in combating the AQAP that threatened the daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
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