Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Yemeni border guards shoot dead al-Qaeda militants disguised in veils

Three were killed at the Yemini-Saudi border as the militants tried to flee

Ben Tufft
Sunday 14 December 2014 13:22 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Yemeni border guard shot dead three suspected militants wearing women’s veils yesterday as they tried to enter Saudi Arabia with a male driver.

Officials said that one of the disguised men shot and wounded a soldier who attempted to enter the car. The soldier immediately returned fire killing the three militants and injuring their driver.

The driver later confessed that he and his companions were al-Qaeda members who were planning to attack Saudi border guards in a suicide attack.

The car had been asked to go to a police station near the border, to have a policewoman check the occupants’ identities.

According to officials, who spoke anonymously, the driver claimed he was taking his family to visit Saudi Arabia when challenged by border guards.

It is not the first attempt to kill Saudi soldiers at the border. In July this year three al-Qaeda militants were killed by a car bomb and fighting at a separate border post as other gunmen were able to enter the country in two cars.

Saudi Arabia said at the time that its border guards killed three gunmen and arrested another, while one guard member was killed.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen’s local branch, claimed responsibility for those attacks. The US considers the group the most dangerous branch of the terror group in the world and it has been linked to several failed attacks on US soil.

Additional Reporting by AP

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in