Al Qaeda takes Yemeni town
Posted January 17, 2012 09:38:39
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Al Qaeda militants swept into the Yemeni town of Rada overnight and overran it within hours, marking a significant advance by the extremists towards the capital, officials said.
Rada, 130 kilometres south-east of Sanaa, is the latest in a series of towns and cities - until now in the south and east - to fall as Al Qaeda takes advantage of a central government weakened by months of protests.
Several sources in the town said more than 1,000 gunmen invaded Rada, which is within striking distance of a strategic highway connecting Sanaa with the south and south-west.
"Al Qaeda has taken over the town and is now the de facto power there," a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"The government's security forces have retreated to their bases and militants are now manning the checkpoints in and out of the town."
The official said the militants had also seized Rada's central prison and police headquarters. The extremists also took over the intelligence HQ.
According to a local tribal chief, more than 100 prisoners were released, "including members of Al Qaeda."
Two soldiers guarding the prison were killed, officials said.
Yemen's defence ministry news website reported that "armed terrorist elements" broke into the Rada prison and helped people on criminal charges escape.
Two people were killed later during an exchange of fire between gunmen and Al Qaeda in a central market area, one official said.
A government official also said that "10 policemen" were abducted.
The takeover began late on Sunday (local time) and was completed by dawn on Monday without significant resistance from security forces, tribal officials said.
'Stronger than the state'
Tribesmen have accused president Ali Abdullah Saleh's government of complacency and said that despite repeated warnings, it did little to prevent Rada's fall.
"We've been warning the authorities about the Al Qaeda threat for months. We told them that their actions and behaviour pointed to their intentions to take over," tribal leader Sheikh Ammar Al-Teiri told AFP.
"The government has absolutely no role here any more."
He said local tribesmen decided to join forces and help protect the city from Al Qaeda, "but they showed up in such force it became clear that in this town at least, they were stronger than the state".
The takeover of Rada, in Al-Bayda province, was accompanied by what appears to be the formal appointment of a local "emir," or prince, to govern the newly-seized territory.
Tribal officials said the post went to Tareq al-Dahab, a brother-in-law of slain US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi who was killed in a suspected US drone strike in September.
Lengthy protests
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and its local affiliates have taken advantage of almost a full year of deadly protests against Mr Saleh to bolster their presence in the south-eastern Shabwa province and nearby Marib.
Abyan province in the south has been the main target of Al Qaeda's growing strength, with militants seizing provincial capital Zinjibar in May and several other towns since.
News of Al Qaeda's victory quickly spread through Bayda, prompting thousands from the provincial capital - also named Bayda - to march in anti-government protests, demanding the governor's resignation and removal of regional security chiefs.
Opposition groups have repeatedly accused Mr Saleh of intentionally allowing militants to take towns and cities to convince Western leaders that a Yemen without him at the helm will fall to extremists.
Hundreds of militants and soldiers have been killed in battles between Islamist fighters and government forces.
AFP
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