SANAA – Al-Qaeda militants have seized a small town southeast of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in another setback to efforts to restore order after President Ali Abdullah Saleh formally handed over power following almost a year of mass protests against his rule.
A police source and witnesses said the militants met little resistance when they entered the town of Radda in al-Baydah province, 170km from Sanaa, on Saturday night, seizing an ancient citadel and mosque.
The seizure has expanded al-Qaeda control outside the province of Abyan, where it has taken over several towns since the uprising began.
Saleh signed a deal in November under which he shifted formal power to his deputy. He has not yet left the country however and still wields power through relatives’ control of security forces, raising concern about the integrity of the deal. – (Reuters)