Islamic Emirate Abyan can become a 'real state'

Acting puppet president of Yemen Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi warned that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is preparing to make Islamic Emirate of Abyan a "real state" with its own economy and armed forces- akin to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, reports the news agency Xinhua.

"The resurgent al-Qaida group collected its elements and leaders from Yemen's provinces and some Arab and Islamic countries and deployed them to Abyan, taking advantage of the country's ongoing political crisis in order to set up an Islamic state there", Hadi said in a phone conversation with Robin Searby, the "counter- terrorism" advisor to the British prime minister's office.

The warning came two days after the al-Qaida Mujahideen regained control of the country's strategic coastal city of Shaqra in Abyan after days of fierce battles against puppet troops.

Shaqra is located some 480 km south of the capital Sanaa.

Local officials told Xinhua that al- Qaeda "is planning to take more cities in Abyan and its southeaster neighbouring province of Shabwa".

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center