Yemeni security forces are bracing for more al Qaeda attacks after Yemeni police launched an offensive against militants earlier last week, AFP reports.
Security forces continue to target militants responsible for kidnapping attempts and violent attacks against Western diplomats in Sanaa.
A recent attack against the presidential palace left five presidential guards dead and has led to an increase in security around government installations and embassies.
Security forces recently killed AQAP commander Shayef Mohammed Said al Shabwani during the gunfight at the presidential palace, according to AFP.
Officials in Sanaa said new checkpoints have been set up to “block all terrorist acts” and security forces were working “around the clock…to preserve security in the capital” as they prepare for reprisal attacks from al Qaeda.
AQAP is considered the most lethal branch of al Qaeda by many Western analysts and continues to cause havoc in Yemen.
