Yemeni tribes enter coastal town to drive out al-Qaeda
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ADEN - Armed Yemeni tribesmen in pickup trucks entered the eastern port town of Mukalla on Saturday to drive out suspected al-Qaeda fighters who took control 48 hours earlier, residents said.
The fighters are part of a tribal alliance in the eastern Hadramawt province which has pledged to restore security after the militants seized Mukalla on Thursday and ransacked buildings, broke into banks and freed prisoners.
The tribal force had already taken over two military bases further east along the coast at Shihr and Riyan, which were abandoned by the army earlier this week.
It was not immediately clear why troops left Shihr and Riyan, nor why they pulled out of Mukalla after offering little resistance, but their withdrawal highlighted the further collapse of any central authority in Yemen.
