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Arabia |
Gunmen kill 5 Yemeni troops guarding LNG plant |
2013-08-12 |
Suspected Al Qaeda The assault follows an escalating campaign of drone strikes by the United States over the past two weeks and warnings of The official said the A Yemeni government spokesman said last week that the $4.5 billion gas facility, jointly managed by Yemen LNG and France’s Total, was one of two energy targets that suspected Al Qaeda The Balhaf facility, the largest industrial project ever undertaken in Yemen, opened in 2009. It is heavily guarded by Yemeni troops. It supplies gas cooled to liquid for export by ship, under long-term contracts to GDF Suez, Total and Korea Gas Corp. A private security source working for oil and gas firms in Yemen said Sunday’s killing appeared to be in retaliation for recent drone strikes that killed scores of “The checkpoint they attacked is one of many leading up to the gas facilities,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The He said there are usually up to 1,800 Yemeni soldiers guarding oil and gas facilities in Shabwa and the number has been increased in recent weeks. The Yemeni government said last week that it had foiled a plot by Al Qaeda to seize the Al Dabbah oil export terminal in Hadramout and the Balhaf gas export facility. The security source said tight security arrangements are already in place in Yemen to protect oil and gas facilities and foreign experts working there from potential attacks by the |
Posted by:Steve White |