Security officials confirmed on Tuesday that 21 soldiers have been freed by alleged al-Qaeda militant after the defense ministry warned it would order a series of airstrikes in the area unless its troops were immediately released.
Last Friday terror militants conducted a series of deadly attacks against the armed forces in the eastern province of Shabwa. In the confusion, al-Qaeda operatives managed to kidnap over a dozen of soldiers, hoping to use them as bargain chips against the central government.
Such tactics have been used time and time again by the Islamists.
Determined to see its men safely returned as well as to make a point that Yemen's army men were not simple pawns on al-Qaeda's chess game the defense ministry said it would bomb al-Qaeda positions in the region and hunt every last militants.
Subsequently to the intervention of local tribes in the negotiation process, al-Qaeda agreed to release all 21 soldiers.
A tribal leader from Mahfad in the southern province of Abyan where the soldiers are believed to have been held prisoners, told the press that warplanes had been spotted today over the area, strong reminders of the military's determination to see return its men to the fold.
Al-Qaeda's tight tribal network has made things difficult for the central government as it has often found itself caught in between a stone and a hard place, forced to negotiate with terror sympathizers in order to avoid bloody tribal confrontations and potential civilian spill overs.