ADEN (Xinhua) – Suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists have taken advantage of the security vacuum in southern Yemen and have attacked the security headquarters of UAE- and Saudi-backed militants in the province of Dhalea, an official told Xinhua.
“Intense armed confrontations are still going on between the security forces and the Al-Qaeda suspects in and around the security headquarters in Dhalea amid large explosions,” the local official said on condition of anonymity.
The gunmen’s attack on the security headquarters that includes a prison is aimed to free Al-Qaeda inmates in it, he added.
A few security personnel including two senior officials were already killed in the attack, the official told Xinhua.
Local eyewitnesses said the gunmen detonated bombs during their battles with security forces, causing large explosions.
Ambulances and a security unit backed by armored vehicles rushed to the scene, they added.
The Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country’s southern provinces.
The AQAP has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Saudi- and UAE-backed mercenaries and militants and Ansarullah fighters in the north to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country.