Al-Qaida seizes another large city in southeast Yemen

As reported by authoritative news agency Xinhua, al-Qaeda's Mujahideen in Yemen liberated another large city on Wednesday. It became the city Azzan, in country's southeastern province of Shabwa.

The city of Azzan is located in the south of the province between the cities of Ar Rawdah and Mayfa'ah (click to see the location on a map).

"Following fierce battles with troops of president Saleh, fighters of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) managed to seize the whole city of Azzan in the southeast province of Shabwa on Wednesday, announcing that "the city of Azzan joins in their Islamic Emirate", one local official told.

Some tribal leaders and residents confirmed the news in phone conversations with Xinhua.

The tribal leaders said the AQAP Mujahideen were enjoying high-level activities nowadays because of the weak presence of security forces of the Yemeni authorities still operating in Sana'a, which were pulled out to major cities to curb the four-month-long anti-government protests and tribal uprisings.

It is to be noted that fierce fightings between rebels of Hashid tribe and infidel-enforcement forces of president Saleh are currently continuing in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.

At the same time protests are continuing in the city of Taiz, which the military dispersing forcedly. Judging by the developments, the main military forces of President Saleh will be concentrated in Sana'a and Taiz for a quite long time.

Shabwa, some 458 km southeast to the capital Sanaa, is believed to be a stronghold of al-Qaeda Mujahideen, a famous preacher Sheikh Anwar al- Awlaki is presumably to be present there.

In addition, among the mujahideen, "al-Qaida managed to free the region of Wadi Abyan Islamic Emirate, which is the historical homeland of the Vice-President Abdur-Rabah Mansour Hadi, told about other local officials, as well as several local residents.

In addition, the Mujahideen of AQAP also liberated Abyan's Wadi district on Wednesday, which is the ancestral homeland of Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, another local official and residents said.

Meanwhile, an official of the regime of president Saleh in province of Shabwa told that the governor of the province held a meeting with tribal chieftains and "dignitaries" on Wednesday, during which they signed an agreement for forming armed popular committees to defend and protect the infidels-enforcement agencies' facilities.

Liberation of Azzan happened less than a week after the Mujahideen of al-Qaeda took over the largest city in Abyan, Zinjibar.

It is to be recall that Zinjibar with a population of about 20.000 people is the capital of Islamic Emirate Abyan (the former province of Abyan), which was proclaimed some time ago by the Mujahideen of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Previously, Xinhua reported that the Mujahideen are controlling almost the entire territory of the Emirate.

Fierce fightings are taking place now in Zinjibar. The regime of president Saleh attacks the city with artillery and aviation. Very little information was about the battles in this city on Wednesday.

Meanwhile the Huffington Post notes that the liberation of Zinjibar by the Mujahideen of al-Qaeda is the turning point in the so-called "Arab Spring". Initially, the protest movements in the Arab countries were mostly secular and pro-democratic character. Now, according to the newspaper, taking over Zinjibar and strengthening al-Qaeda, may strongly influence their outcome.

Huffington Post wrote that it is not worth to underestimate the strategic possibilities of Yemeni Mujahideen.

The newspaper recalls that liberated Zinjibar is located on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, near the waterway that leads to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow 26-kilometer wide shipping lane that ports some 11 percent of the world's oil. This oil chokepoint is of monumental importance to the global economy.

If the Mujahideen of al-Qaeda establish control over the entire southern part of Yemen, and, consequently, over all the Gulf of Aden, it will be the most significant blow to the West.

Department of Monitoring

Kavkaz Center