Al-Ukeimis son now hostage [Archives:2002/30/Front Page]

The Ministry of Interior received on July 20, son of sheikh al-Ukeimi and his nephew in compliance with the government demand. That came after the Yemeni authorities demanded their being handed over as a condition for easing tension in the region.
Sheikh, al-Ukeimi, agreed to the demand hoping to avert any new confrontations between Jawfs tribesmen and government forces.
Meanwhile, Yemeni aircraft made flights over the region and broke the sound barrier in a move to scare tribesmen there. After hearing a series of huge sounds of sound barrier breaking, some tribesmen left their homes seeking refuge at safer places.
This tense situation was triggered almost two weeks ago when a army helicopter boarded by the army deputy chief of staff, Ali Mohammed Saleh, came under fire, and made a forced landing. Ali Salah was slightly injured in the incident. Culprits are believed to be from al-Marfadh village in Jawf.
Yemeni authorities have beefed up security presence in the tribal region of Jawf and Mareb as it is believed to be a safe heaven for fugitives and terrorists. Also, the authorities have suspicions that leading members of al-Qaeda network in Yemen are hiding somewhere in the Jawf region, especially al-Ahdal and Senyan one of the most wanted al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen. Sheikh al-Ukeimi told the Yemen Times that he had no idea about the whereabouts of Qaed Senyan or al-Ahdal. Sheikh al-Ukeimi was detained by the Yemeni authorities and then released for his alleged knowledge of the whereabouts of al-Qaeda fugitives in Yemen.
In a recent statement to the Yemen Times sheikh al-Ukeimi warned against punishing tribesmen of Jawf merely in response to foreign pressure, adding that tribesmen will not accept to be a scapegoat for enhancing international relations or solving other internal political problems.
Tribes of Jawf expressed their readiness to cooperate with the authorities to to hunt down on terrorists in the region and hand them over to the authorities. I dont know why the authorities want me to surrender my children as hostages, al-Ukeimi wondered. Al-Ukeimi further pointed out that the mediation he brokered between the authorities and the sympathizers with al-Qaeda aimed to stop the bombings in Sanaa aimed to put pressure on the government to release their remaining kinsmen held prisoner by authorities
 


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