Al-Qaeda militants retake two Yemen towns

The internationally recognised government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi is temporarily housed in Aden, after the Shia rebel Houthi militia took over the capital Sanaa a year ago.

“Jaar is now free from Al-Qaeda and Popular Resistance committees”, the source said, adding that the jihadists withdrew from the town towards provincial capital Zinjibar, where they already control government offices.

It would allow the militants to send reinforcements from Mukalla to Aden via Jaar.

Aden: Al-Qaeda fighters forced pro-government forces out of a strategic town in southern Yemen today after clashes that left at least 15 people dead, officials said.

But militants, including Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, appear to have gained ground in and around Aden, where jihadists are now visibly present. The militants then set up checkpoints at the entry points of the towns and announced over loudspeakers after dawn prayers their takeover of both towns.

After the unrest erupted in 2011, al Qaeda seized Zinjbar, Jaar and other towns in the south. He said he had tried to alert government officials to what he thought were suspicious al Qaeda movements, but had received no help.

Yemen has been engulfed by growing turmoil with pro-government forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition battling the Huthi rebels for months.

Pro-government troops, referred to as the “Popular Resistance”, launched operations to retake five southern provinces from the Houthis since July, including Abyan and Aden, and have largely succeeded.

The United States considers AQAP to be the most risky affiliate of the Al-Qaeda network.

The capture of the towns highlights how Al Qaeda has taken advantage of the collapse of central authority in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been embroiled in an eight-month war against Houthis.

At the time, the militants were emboldened by waning government control during Arab Spring protests, which eventually ousted former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Jaar has in past years lost civilians in air strikes intended for militants, and during a visit by Reuters to Jaar in late 2013, sympathy for militants was still evident.