Troops kick Al Qaida out of Hadramout

FORCES HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED TO RURAL AREAS TO ENSURE THEY DON’T RETURN

Coastal areas of Yemen’s province of Hadramout and neighbouring areas have been completely cleared of Al Qaida militants, the governor of Hadramout said on Sunday.

Three years ago Al Qaida occupied Hadramout’s capital of Al Mukalla, but the militants were largely uprooted thanks to UAE-backed efforts to rid the territory from their grip.

Major General Faraj Salmeen Al Bahsani said local security and military authorities had thwarted Al Qaida’s attempts to resurface in their former strongholds in the province and killed and captured a large number of militants recently.

“We have completely uprooted Al Qaida and captured a big number of militants, including some dangerous leading figures,” he said in an interview with the Saudi state-owned Al Ekhbariya on Sunday.

Al Qaida militants were able to exploit a power vacuum in the territory when the military collapsed there in

April 2015.

Local military officials believed there was collusion between some army units in Al Mukalla that remained loyal to Al Houthis and Al Qaida to undermine the Saudi-led coalition military operations in Yemen.

Al Bahsani, who is also the commander of Al Mukallabased 2nd Military Region, said hundreds of troops have recently been dispatched to rural areas in the province to prevent Al Qaida militants from regrouping.