Thousands of Yemeni tribesmen gathered on Monday in the capital of Sanaa to voice their support for the government's efforts in fighting al-Qaida.



The rally, organized by chieftain Naji bin Abdul-Aziz al-Shaif of the northern powerful Bakeel tribe, vowed to back the government's efforts in its battles against al-Qaida and promised to fight alongside the troops.



"We will fight against al-Qaida group as it harmed the reputation of the country, Yemeni tribes and Muslims," Sheikh Sageer bin Aziz said in a statement.



"We expressed our sorrow to all countries and people who were harmed by al-Qaida and we demanded President Ali Abdullah Saleh to handle the situation and we will stand by him," he added.



Yemen has beefed up security campaign including air raids on al- Qaida wing since the terrorist group claimed credit for a failed attempt to blow up a U.S. passenger plane in December 2009.



Source: Xinhua