Coalition airstrikes have forced al-Qaeda fighters out of a key town in southern Yemen, AFP reported Tuesday (August 9th).
"Al-Qaeda militants have withdrawn from Azzan, the second city in Shabwa province, after coalition raids targeted their gatherings in the city" on Monday night, a security official said.
The militants had retreated northwards and "no longer have a presence" in Azzan, a local resident said via telephone.
Their withdrawal from Azzan followed a series of coalition air raids against their positions in the town, security officials and residents said.
Azzan lies on the highway between Shabwa's provincial capital Ataq and al-Mukalla, provincial capital of Hadramaut. Extremist fighters had previously seized Azzan in February, retreated in April and later returned to the town.
