Yemeni oil pipeline blown up, no production lost

SANAA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - An oil pipeline was blown up in Yemen on Friday but caused no disruption to production and more than 10 tribesmen had been arrested in connection with the incident, a security official said.

The official, who declined to be named, said Islamist militants were not believed to have been involved and that the damaged section of the pipeline, about 50 km (30 miles) east of the capital Sanaa, had been repaired.

Attacks on oil pipelines by disgruntled tribesmen are not uncommon in Yemen, a poor Arab state where weapons are widely available.

Yemen, a small oil producer with exports of about 200,000 barrels per day, has been widely seen in the West as a haven for Islamist militants, including al Qaeda supporters.

It joined the U.S.-led war against terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and has been battling militants for years.

(Reporting by Mohamed Sudam; writing by Firouz Sedarat)