Yemen’s Defense Minister and two senior security officers escape unhurt in al-Qaida attack; South Africa and Malaysia to collaborate on the research and development of advanced radar and sensor technologies
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • (MAY 5-11)

    According to reports, Yemen’s Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmad and two senior security officers escaped unhurt when their convoy was ambushed on May 9 by al-Qaida fighters. Defense Minister Ahmad, intelligence chief Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi and military police chief Awad Majwar al-Awlaqi were travelling from Abyan province to Shabwa province, when they came under fire. They were returning from a trip to monitor an ongoing army offensive against jihadists in Yemen's restive south. The defense minister had in a statement published earlier vowed to crush al-Qaida fighters in Yemen. The ground offensive against al-Qaida in Yemen began on April 29 in Shabwa, Abyan and Baida provinces, where a wave of US drone strikes killed scores of suspected al-Qaida militants last month. 1
    In another development, according to reports, South Africa and Malaysia will collaborate on the research and development (R&D) of advanced radar and sensor technologies, and electronic and network-centric warfare systems. This collaboration which starts in 2016 will be for over 10 years. The agreement was struck during the Defence Services Asia show in Kuala Lumpur last month. The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) signed a memorandum of agreement that paves the way for the establishment in Malaysia of a joint Centre of Excellence for Advanced Defence Technologies, specializing in radar and sensor technologies. This is the second major deal between the two countries this year. It follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by South Africa’s Denel Aerostructures and Strand Aerospace Malaysia to pave the way for collaboration in defense aerospace systems. 2

    Top