Yemeni troops capture three IS-linked militants in Aden

ADEN, Yemen, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni troops launched an operation and captured three militants linked to the Islamic State group in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Sunday, a police official told Xinhua.

The UAE-backed anti-terror troops raided a building after getting intelligence tips about the presence of militants and criminals belonging to the Islamic State in Aden province, the local police source said on condition of anonymity.

According to the details, three IS-linked militants were seized along with a large amount of grenades and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from the targeted building.

"High-tech cameras apparently used by IS drive-by shooters, computers, TNT and C-4 explosives were confiscated by the troops," the source said.

Other security sources confirmed to Xinhua that "a well-trained team of the Islamic State militants responsible for conducting drive-by shootings and assassinations in Aden was caught this morning."

The Yemeni police sources said that the arrested were involved in several incidents of terrorism and assassinations of military commanders in Aden.

The captured militants have been shifted to undisclosed locations supervised by the Saudi-led coalition where they are undergoing investigation.

Yemeni government forces and intelligence agencies are on high alert and have sped up security raids in Aden to abort any imminent terrorist attacks.

During the past two years, the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and other terrorist groups including the Islamic State had an active presence in Yemen's southern part.

Both the al-Qaida militants and Islamic State group often launch suicide and roadside bombings against Yemeni security forces based in several provinces of the country.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths. Enditem