Yemen Qaeda chief announces formation of 'army': website

DUBAI: Al-Qaeda's military chief in Yemen Qassim al-Rimi on Monday announced the creation of an "Aden-Abyan Army" to free the country of "crusaders and their apostate agents," in an Internet audio tape.

"We are preparing to implement the first steps of the Aden-Abyan Army to defend the nation and its religion... and free this land of crusaders and their apostate agents," the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader said.

"This army is in its early stages," he said, calling for help from jihadists and their supporters in the audio message whose authenticity could not be verified immediately. It was posted on the Al-Malaham site linked to AQAP.

Aden and Abyan are the two southern provinces in Yemen where AQAP is becoming more and more active.

Earlier on Monday, the US ambassador in Yemen said Washington was committed to working with the Yemeni government in Sanaa to defeat Al-Qaeda.