The Popular Committee, a local armed resistance group, said seven of their fighters had been killed in the violence. The militants then set up checkpoints at the entries to the towns and announced over loudspeakers after dawn prayers their takeover of both towns.
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On Wednesday, Abdullatif al-Sayed, the head of Popular Committee fighters in Abyan province, said his forces tried to repel the attacks and that he had been informing officials what al-Qaeda had been planning, but to no avail.
Armored vehicles, funded by Gulf nations, which entered Yemen over the last five months to stop the Houthi expansion are now controlled by al Qaeda, according to a top Aden security official in the governors office.
But hours later, no Al-Qaeda militants could be seen in the town, witnesses said, while eight armoured vehicles deployed by the fighters left. However, the pro-government forces are now battling al-Qaeda, where the latter has gained ground and a visible presence in and around Aden.
Underscoring the insecurity, two Red Cross workers were kidnapped in the capital on Tuesday by unidentified assailants.
It has imposed a strict version of Islamic law in Mukalla, which it seized in April.
The militants can now send reinforcements from their stronghold in Mukalla to Aden through Jaar, according to the source. The vehicles were previously controlled by forces loyal to Hadi.
The United States considers AQAP to be the most unsafe affiliate of the Al-Qaeda militant network.
The analyst described the move as a “show of force” by Al-Qaeda, warning that “unless there is a decisive response by the coalition and pro-government forces, the militants will carry out more significant operations”.
Capturing the towns highlights how well al Qaeda has been able to take advantage of weakened central authority in Yemen.
At the time, the militants were emboldened by waning government control during Arab Spring protests, which eventually ousted former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
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It seized Zinjibar and other parts of Abyan in 2011, where members remained before being defeated by local army-backed militias a year later.
