Unknown assailants bomb oil pipe in Yemen

An oil pipe was bombed in Yemen by unknown assailants on Thursday morning, local sources told Arabstoday. Sources said they heard a loud explosion before they saw smoke rising up from the location where the pipeline was targeted. The pipe transferred oil to a south-eastern export terminal in Shabwa province. Early in November, another gas pipeline was bombed between Mareb and Shabwa causing suspension in Yemen's gas exports. It was reported that Yemeni authorities are still working on fixing the damage. Yemen's security forces blamed al-Qaeda militant for these attacks. However, it was reported local tribes also threatened to perpetrate similar assaults against oil and gas pipelines. They claimed the government overlooked them in job opportunities in gas and oil companies, and that their towns and villages are not receiving a percentage of the companies' revenues.