Al-Qaida seizes southern Yemeni town
Al-Qaida's Yemeni branch seized another town on Monday, setting up checkpoints at its entrances and besieging government buildings before dawn after days of fighting with southern separatists, officials said.
The capture of Azzan marks the latest advance for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, which has exploited the chaos of Yemen's civil war to expand its reach. The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters.
The group captured the southern port city of Mukalla last year and has seized a number of towns as it has moved west toward Yemen's second city of Aden, where the internationally backed government is based.
