[An Nahar] al-Qaeda in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
overran three southern towns just days after a deadly US raid targeting its commanders, before withdrawing from two of them on Friday, officials said.
The jihadists' entry into the Abyan
...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an
Islamic Emirateafter seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues...
province towns of Loder, Shaqra and Ahwar came as the White House defended Sunday's raid on an al-Qaeda compound as a "success", even though multiple civilians and a Navy SEAL were killed.
Abyan has long been an al-Qaeda stronghold and it was only through a major offensive backed by a Saudi-led coalition last summer that the government was able to drive its fighters out of the province's main towns.
But the jihadists have faced some opposition from ordinary Yemenis.
"The al-Qaeda gunnies withdrew from Loder and Shaqra after protest demonstrations by residents," a local government official said.
"Residents made clear during the protests that they were ready to take up arms if necessary."
The jihadists' entry into the two towns on Thursday evening was helped by a pullout by government forces angry over the late payment of their wages, a security official told AFP.
"Our forces are also angry that they have not been provided with the weapons and other equipment to confront the jihadists, who have been stepping up their armed attacks," the official said.
Al-Qaeda gunnies set up roadblocks around the towns and blew up two security service buildings.
Saudi-led aircraft carried out two strikes on jihadist positions in Loder overnight, the official added.