Yemeni troops gain on al-Qaida rebels

SAN'A, Yemen -- Government troops battling al-Qaida fighters in southern Yemen have made inroads into the militants' strongholds, but the offensive on a strategic city has slowed because of concerns the extremists could launch a surprise counterattack, military officials said yesterday.

Backed by heavy artillery and warplanes, Yemeni troops have advanced into Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, which fell under the control of al-Qaida-linked fighters last year as the country was engulfed by political turmoil that led to the ouster of longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.

If the military were to capture Zinjibar, it would deal a heavy blow to al-Qaida by depriving it of a key base and scattering its fighters to smaller towns and mountain areas of the south.

Yemeni officials said the assault on Zinjibar has slowed down in part because of poor intelligence in the city.

They said army commanders were unsure whether most of the militants there have been killed, simply fled the battle or retreated for tactical reasons and were preparing a counteroffensive.

The Yemeni branch, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, was behind three failed bomb plots on U.S. soil.

Washington has thrown its support behind Saleh's successor, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has vowed to tackle the threat from al-Qaida in the country.

As part of the fight, Hadi is restructuring the military and removing Saleh's loyalists from key posts, though there are concerns that the former leader, who stepped down in February, is still obstructing reforms and trying to retain influence through his cronies.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama signed an executive order allowing the Treasury Department to freeze the U.S.-based assets of individuals who the White House says "threaten the peace, security and stability" of Yemen.

The order was meant as a deterrent against future action and does not immediately levy any penalties against specific people or organizations.