Arab coalition forces detain al-Qaeda leaders, including Yemen’s Zarqawi

Arab coalition leaders fighting in Yemen said in a statement that their helicopters carried out an air strike Saturday to support the Yemeni counter-terrorism army in their battle against Houthi militias.

These raids were launched in pursuit of al-Qaeda targets in the city of Mukalla.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the source stating that a number of members and senior leaders of different nationalities belonging to al-Qaeda were arrested in Wadi al-Hadramawt, including Ahmed Said Awad Barhamah, known as Zarqawi.

The operation also resulted in the termination of terrorist plots by confiscating various equipment, weapons and armaments intended to carry out terrorist operations in a number of areas in Hadramawt.

Major General Ahmad Saeed Bin Braik, Governor of Hadramawt said, during a telephone interview with Al Arabiya's sister channel Al Hadath on Saturday evening, that elite forces carried out numerous ground operations against al-Qaeda operatives with air support from Arab coalition forces.

He added that the operations enabled the capture of seven al-Qaeda members, including two leaders, one of them was Abu Ali al-Saeri, a terror suspect believed to be responsible for the killing of soldiers in 2014, together with Ahmed Saeed Awad Baramah and a number of his companions.

Major General Bin Braik stressed the importance of these operations carried out with the participation of coalition forces in obstructing suicide bombings and assassinations.