Yemeni forces backed by the UAE have driven al-Qaeda fighters from a southern district that is the birthplace of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, AFP reported Thursday (September 14th).
Wadea, in Abyan province, for months was a no-go zone for Yemeni troops. Al-Qaeda fighters fled there after an offensive in the neighbouring province of Shabwa last month.
Seven suspected al-Qaeda members were arrested during the operation, which began Wednesday, including an alleged explosives expert known as Abu Abdallah, security sources said.
Other sources said the extremists had not put up a fierce resistance, but withdrew -- a now familiar pattern for al-Qaeda in Yemen.
"Most of the organisation's leaders fled ... and headed towards the nearby Mahfad district," the sources said, referring to an al-Qaeda stronghold on the edge of Abyan province.
