Al-Qaida militants have seized control of key areas in and around Yemen’s port city of Aden, high-ranking security officials said Saturday, a major gain for the group which has been making inroads amid the chaos of the country’s civil war.
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Safety officers close to the seized base, in Dar Saad’s al-Lohoum district, stated it’s now coaching some 200 militants. “At the same time, others raised the al-qaeda black flag above government buildings, including the administrative building of the port”, one resident told Reuters.
Al-Qaida also has a presence in Breiqa city, west of Aden, and nearby al-Khadra city, the officials added.
“They’re unfold out in Tahawi and we will say they’ve the world underneath their management”.
The four-storey building in the Tawahi neighbourhood of Aden was razed by the blast which occurred at around 6 am (0300 GMT) and which could be heard across the city, residents said. “Patients and MSF staff are unable to reach hospitals due to the heavy fighting and airstrikes”, the aid group said in a statement, adding that 923 people have been wounded over the past three days, and that 133 of them died due to their severe injuries.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, is considered the most lethal branch of al-Qaeda by many Western analysts and continues to cause havoc in Yemen.
The U.A.E.’s troops are trying and have had some success in persuading tribes and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Houthis, to join the coalition, said the person, who has been briefed on the matter.
Known as the “gateway to Sanaa“, the Houthi-controlled town of Taiz has been battered by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, killing dozens.
Al Qaeda, which had exclusively a minor position the struggle towards the Houthis, additionally has been on a serious recruitment drive, including a whole lot of younger males to its ranks and stockpiling weapons, a number of officers stated.
Washington, meanwhile, has kept up its drone attacks targeting the militants, including one in June in the city of Mukalla that killed the group’s top leader.
Yemeni transport Minister Badr Bassalma told The Associated Press that Aden’s ports were secure and operational, without elaborating.
In late March, Saudi Arabia and its fellow Sunni allies started an air campaign in Yemen after the rebels advanced on Aden, forcing Hadi and his government to flee the country.
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Five weeks after Aden was retaken from the Houthis, gunmen in civilian uniforms have proliferated on its streets but their exact affiliation has been unclear.
