Al-Qaeda leader in southeastern Yemen killed by elder brother.

Hazam al-Thahb, Yemeni tribal chief from the southeastern Yemeni town of Rada, which was briefly taken over by al-Qaeda militants, killed his younger brother, Tariq al-Thahb, a high-profile leader in AQAP.

Hazam broke on Wednesday evening into a mosque, where his brother and some of al-Qaeda militants were living, and killed his Tariq and some of his followers, tribal dignitary from the area told Yemen Post on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

"He has killed his younger brother after he repeatedly warned him not to align himself with the islamists, however his brother was obstinate and did not pay heed to his warnings and advice. That's why he had to kill him before he is killed by the authorities, said the tribal dignitary.

"Al-Qaeda militants have quickly avenged their leader loss as they have launched some attacks on Hazam's, the older brother and tribal chief, house, shelling it with Rocket Propellant Grenades and mortars,"

Furthermore, the younger brother followers (al-Qaeda militants) have also planted some mines around the brother home, leaving Hazam and a number of his guards killed on Thursday morning, the local tribal source added.

Tribal Yemeni customs and traditions make it obligatory for a brother to stand by his brother even if he was on the wrong, and that it's very shameful not to avenge your brother murder regardless of what he was killed for.

Realizing one day his brother Tariq would be killed by either Yemeni government or by US drone, Hazam tried to make his brother disassociate himself with al-Qaeda. When Tariq refused to listen to his elder and wiser brother, Hazem preferred to kill his brother by his own in order not to have to take revenge against any one involved in his murder, according to tribal sources close to al-Thahb.

Rada, some 170km southeast of the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, was briefly taken over by Yemen-based al-Qaeda branch militants led by Tariq al-Thahb. But the militants pulled out based on a tribal mediation that guaranteed the release of their brother, Nabil.

Although Hazam was not affiliated to al-Qaeda he got ready to fight the government alongside the islamists because he felt obliged to stand by his younger brother.

Hazam and Tariq are the in laws of American-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Walaqi's, who was assassinated by US drone last year, brothers in law.