As the government announced a massive hunt, even with helicopters, for fugitives it says have planned to carry further terrorist attacks in Yemen, MPs said on Monday the government had provided aid for terrorist groups to carry out attacks.
During a closed parliament session to which Deputy Premier for Security and Defense Affairs Rashad Al-Alimi was invited along with the ministers of Culture, Tourism and Guidance and Deputy Minister of Interior, MPs said the government's support for Jihadist and terrorist networks in the country was politically-motivated.
During the sitting, which was dedicated to discussing the issues of insecurity and soaring terrorist acts, independent MP Sakhr Al-Wajih said the government has been found involved in many terrorist acts which took place in the past years.
In the sitting, which was supposed to be closed and not to be attended by media, MPs urged a transparent dealing with security issues in the country as they reaffirmed previous accusations, by MPs from the ruling party and opposition, that the government had provided aid for terrorists.
In previous sessions, MPs from the ruling party and opposition called on the government to determine the nature of its relationship with terrorist networks and reconsider its policies on the relationship, saying all government acts in this regard are negatively affecting the country.
"One of the major problems in this country is that the authority blocks the people from discussions over crucial issues," some MPs added, pointing to government measures banning media from covering some government debates.
Meanwhile, amid reports that the US had planned to strike Al-Qaeda targets in Yemen which the Yemeni government has recently denied, the Interior Ministry said on Monday it has used helicopters to hunt terrorists who may shelter to eastern desert areas.
In a statement, the ministry said it saw it was necessary to use planes to comb desert areas in the provinces of Mareb, Shabwa and Hadramout to search for Al-Qaeda operatives after it had gained information al-Qaeda affiliates were preparing for attacks in the country.
The move comes within a massive hunt for fugitives after a deadly suicide attack that killed four tourists along with their local guide and injured six others in Shibam city, Hadramout, and a failed suicide attack against S. Korean investigators who arrived to investigate the Shibam attack.
An official source dismissed on Sunday reports that the US thought to strike Al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, saying, after a Yemeni official was cited by a US official website as confirming the US move, the reports were groundless.