Saboteurs attack Yemeni gas pipeline

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SANAA, Yemen, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A Yemeni natural gas company said it was the victim of sabotage when attackers struck a 38-inch pipeline connected to the country's coast.

"Yemen LNG confirms the sabotage of the 38-inch gas pipeline that links the block 18 to the Balhaf terminal on the Gulf of Aden," the company said.

The attack took place early Sunday about 100 miles north of Balhaf.

Last summer, the Yemeni government said it was losing around $15 million per day because of attacks on national energy infrastructure.

Separatist ambitions and a lingering al-Qaida presence in Yemen have complicated political transition in the country.

Yemen LNG last reported an attack on one of its pipelines in October. In November, the independent Yemen Post said tribesmen in central Yemen were using pipeline attacks as a bargaining tool with the government.

State-owned SAFER E&P said there may be shortages of oil in Yemen because of downstream consequences of pipeline attacks.