The Yemeni army drove al-Qaeda-linked fighters from two of their main strongholds on Tuesday after weeks of fighting, the Defence Ministry said, a major breakthrough for a U.S.-backed offensive meant to secure stability in the wider oil-rich Gulf region.
Jubilant residents took to the streets of the provincial capital of Zinjibar and the strategic city of Jaar in spontaneous celebrations after militants from Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), who had held the two southern cities for more than a year, fled advancing Yemeni troops.
“I am now speaking from the local government headquarters in Zinjibar,” Major General Salem Qatan, commander of the southern region, told Reuters by telephone. “The cities of Zinjibar and Jaar have been completely cleansed,” he said.
Full Story: Yemen army routs al-Qaeda, takes two strongholds