Security chief of Al-Mahafad district of Abyan, Yaslim al-Anbori, has revealed that numbers of al-Qaeda militants are flowing to the east of al-Mahfad.

He told the Kuwaiti Alsyasia newspaper as saying that the number of militants is about 400, asserting that Al-Mahfad turns to a connection point between militants from Abyan, Hadhramout, Shabwah, Marib.

According to al-Anbori, he had confirmed information that suicide bombers headed to Sana'a, Aden and other cities to carry out sucicide bombings using motorcycles .

He affirmed that Saudis and Pakistanis are among the militants, indicating that they are helping the militants in making bombs and explosive belts and anticipating that Baihan district of Shabwah may be controlled by Al-Qaeda.

He said that Al-Qaeda militants kidnapped a Syrian and Turkish last week, and transferred them to a remote area with the aim of pressing on the Yemeni authorities to release an al-Qaeda leader, Nasser Al-Shaibah, held by the Yemeni authorities since three years.

He revealed that contacts about the Saudi diplomats kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in Yemen were totally suspended, emphasizing that there are no information about his place.

Al-Qaeda militants received painful blows as the Yemeni army cleansed them from their main strongholds in Abyan and they resorted to use other tactics including the abduction of foreigners.

A number of foreigners including a Saudi diplomat and a Swiss nationals are still held by Ansar al-Shariah, an Al-Qaeda linked group, in Abyan.

Local sources of Abyan had said that Al-Qaeda managed to hire tribesmen to kidnap foreigners and transfer them to South Yemen.