Saudi pipeline blown up in Yemen

Militants have blown up a segment of a pipeline of a Saudi Arabian oil company in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa, according to Yemeni security officials. The attack occurred in the Mafrak al-Saeed district of Shabwa on Tuesday night, damaging a pipeline carrying crude oil from the southeastern province to the Bir Ali terminal on the Gulf of Aden, a Yemeni security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua. The pipeline was also targeted in the same area on April 2, the official added. According to witnesses, "an armed group fired more than three rocket-propelled grenades on the pipeline, setting it on fire for the second time in less than two weeks." The security official added that al-Qaeda militants are the main suspects in the attacks. The pipeline belongs to the Nimir Petroleum Company. On Monday, clashes between Yemeni military forces and suspected al-Qaeda militants left at least 60 soldiers dead in the southern province of Abyan. Yemen's economy depends on oil production, with petroleum exports accounting for more than 60 percent of the country's budget.