Dubai: Etihad Airways has stopped cargo shipments from Yemen and Somalia, a spokesman said, as security measures are increased after two US-bound parcel bombs from Yemen were intercepted in Britain and Dubai.

The change, announced on Thursday, aims to meet several countries' plans to tighten air cargo monitoring after the bomb plot, the company spokesman said.

The parcel bombs are suspected to be the work of Al Qaida's Yemen-based regional arm, Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Lawless Somalia is also seen by security analysts as a breeding ground for militants and foreign jihadists.

Awaiting permission

"Etihad has ceased cargo shipments from Yemen and Somalia until directives from governments around the world permit carriage of goods to these ports," he said.

Most airlines have made similar changes for cargo shipment, he added.

Yemen, trying to quash Al Qaida while tackling a separatist movement in the south and a shaky truce with insurgents in the north, has again surged to the forefront of international security concerns because of the militant group.

It is the second time AQAP is suspected of trying to strike US targets using aircraft. No claim of responsibility has been made for the parcel plot.

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