Three tribesmen were killed and several others were wounded on Saturday as Al-Qaeda militants attacked the house of a well-known witch-doctor in Rada'a of Baidha governorate.
The militants led by Tariq Al-Dhahab tried to arrest Hassan Alawbali that AlQaeda sees his exercises of witchcraft and sorcery as forbidden by Sharia, but he was not existed inside the home.
Local sources said that the militants came to Alawbali's house on military vehicles that they had seized during their takeover of government facilities of Rada'a last week.
They further said that followers of Alawbali responded to the attack, killing two Al-Qaeda militants.
Meanwhile, local sources allege that Adel Almasri, security official and son of the former interior minister, Mutahar Almasri, coordinates with Al-Qaeda to surrender other areas of Baidha.
They pointed out that Almasri had colluded with armed groups in Abyan and help them capture a camp months ago.
Tribal leaders went to Almasri and asked him about news reports of his intention to plans to surrender others areas to the militants, but he denied that, affirming that he only withdrew from Abyan camp after all his soldiers left him alone.
Al-Qaeda militants are currently positioning inside an ancient citadel, a location of the Central Security and other government facilitates.
Sources said that deputy governor of Baidha, Mohammad Almansori, seeks to mediate between the militants and other tribesmen to persuade them leave the town.
However, locals accuse him of complicity with the militants, pointing out that he urges them to stay inside the town.
News reports stated that the US Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein informed the Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakar Al-Qairbi last Wednesday that Yemen's security forces cooperated with Al-Qaeda to capture Rada'a.
Critics of Saleh allege that he uses Al-Qaeda to blackmail and intimidate the neighboring GCC states and other western countries, pointing out that security services that are still loyal to Saleh were responsible for insecurity in Rada'a.