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| Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in Yemen (Wikipedia) |
Ain't Life Just Fucking Grand?
The word "Clusterfuck" is just not strong enough.
(Associated Press) — 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.
The move, part of a weeks long expansion in Aden in the wake of major fighting there between Shiite rebels known as Houthis and pro-government forces backed by Saudi Arabia, shows how the organization still holds formidable clout despite its relatively low-profile role in the country's raging civil war.
Fighters took Tawahi district, home to a presidential palace and Aden's main port, and were patrolling the streets, some carrying black banners, the officials said. The militants also took parts of Crater, Aden's commercial center, and parts of the town of Dar Saad, just north of Aden, including an army base that their fighters turned into a training camp, they added.
Security officials near the seized base, in Dar Saad's al-Lohoum district, said it is now training some 200 militants.
The officials, who hail from the military, security forces and police, all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to journalists.
Backed by heavy airstrikes, the coalition forces pushed the Houthis out of Aden last month, and have been pursuing them further to the north. They had been making rapid advances in armored columns until earlier this week, when rebels ambushed them in a major battle near the entrance to Bayda province.
Al-Qaida appears to have taken advantage of a security vacuum in Aden to ramp up its presence. It also has forces in the cities of Breiqa, west of Aden, and al-Khadra, the officials added.
Omar al-Sobeihy, a resident of Dar Saad, said that while al-Qaida fighters are moving freely in the area, "we haven't felt any harassment from them so far."
In the Tawahi district, resident Taha Faris described a similar situation.
"They are spread out in Tahawi and we can say they have the area under their control. So far they aren't harassing people, trying instead to gain support, though I fully realize they are waiting for the right moment to attack and control all of Aden," Faris said.
In Tawahi, al-Qaida destroyed the main state security building on Saturday with a powerful bomb that was heard around the city, security officials said. The group has been trying to attack the site for several years, they added. Meanwhile, an official with port security said one of their boats was set ablaze by suspected al-Qaida militants.
Al-Qaida, which had only a minor role the war against the Houthis, also has been on a major recruitment drive, adding hundreds of young men to its ranks and stockpiling weapons, several officials said.
A high-ranking military official said the authorities in Aden wrongfully gave weapons to al-Qaida when they randomly distributed them to pro-government forces in Aden in March and April while pursuing the Houthis. Al-Qaida captured other weapons in clashes, according to the official.
High-ranking security and military officials met Saturday in the office of Aden's governor to discuss ways to quickly absorb pro-government fighters in the military, officials in his office said. Officials from Aden, Lahj, and Abin provinces attended the meeting.
The officials discussed the increasing reach of the attacks by al-Qaida, including taking over some official government buildings in Aden and the bombing of the city's state security building.
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