US provided support to besieged Yemen unit

The United States provided logistical support to a Yemeni army unit that was besieged by suspected Al-Qaeda militants in the south, Yemen's deputy information minister said on Thursday in Sanaa. "The American forces are helping Yemen in its fight against Al-Qaeda" with material support, Abdo al-Janadi told a news conference in Sanaa. "They helped the army by bringing in food supplies when they were besieged by Al-Qaeda members," he said, responding to a question about alleged American involvement in Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, where the 25th Mechanised Brigade was besieged by militants believed to be linked to Al-Qaeda. An official in Abyan said that ships and boats believed to be American were seen in the area of Zinjibar. He also said that there had been killings by snipers during the night in Zinjibar, which would require night-vision equipment. Militants belonging to the "Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law)" took over much of Zinjibar in late May. The city has since been the seen of heavy fighting, which has displaced thousands of residents.