Seven members of Daesh, including a Westerner, have been captured in an offensive in Yemen’s port city of Aden.
The captures were made part of an offensive by forces loyal to ex-Yemeni president Abd Rubbuh Mansur Hadi against al-Qaeda and Daesh, which has claimed a wave of deadly attacks in recent months in Aden.
A militant commander, quoted by the AFP news agency, said the arrests were made in the al-Mansoura district of the southern province of Aden on Saturday.
Daesh and other militant groups, such as al-Qaeda, have exploited the year-long conflict in Yemen to gain a major foothold in the country.
There has been an uptick in violence since Saudi-backed forces stormed the of Mukalla near Aden.
On May 23, twin bombings claimed by Daesh killed at least 41 people in Aden which has turned to a major hub for militant since Saudi-backed troops claimed the city as embattled President Hadi’s temporary seat of government in July.
A security source told local news site Aden al-Ghad that the cell of seven was led by a French national.
France is said to be the biggest source of European foreign militants joining Daesh, with more than 900 French nationals thought to have left the country to fight for the group in Iraq or Syria.
It is not known how many French or European nationals could have joined the group in Yemen, where Daesh has not long had a presence.
albawaba.com
