According to this the Arab newspaper
Al Khaleej and the Chinese agency
Xinhua, Mujahideen of al-Qaeda have liberated the coastal town of Radhoum, administrative center of the district in the province of Shabwa.
Dozens of the Mujahideen armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles swept into the coastal town of Radhoum on the 24th of March took full control of the region after throwing up a tightened security ring around the entrances of the town.
According to local puppet officials, soldiers of AQAP "raised black flag over the local buildings and began handing out pamphlets calling for Jihad (holy war) against the supporters of Christianity".
"A number of fake checkpoints were set up by the al-Qaeda members in the city and many foreign Mujahideen are in the neighborhoods," the puppet added.
In turn, the Yemen Times reported that the Mujahideen of al-Qaeda took control of the entire area of al- Radhoum, not just one town. This area, of 6680 square km is home to over 23,000 people, the length of its coastline is 220 km.
The city of Balhaf, which apparently has not yet been taken by the Mujahideen, is in the area, too. Balhaf is a major center for oil and gas industry of Yemen; the gas export to the West has been run from this city.
Witnesses told the newspaper Al-Khaleej that local residents supported the Mujahideen of al-Qaeda, and local puppets could not offer any resistance.
Sources said that the release of Radhoum was gradual: in recent months, the Mujahideen took control of several municipal cultural center's first.
The Yemen Times quotes anonymous sources who reported that the activities of AQAP in the region had begun in form of doing of Da'waat (appeal). After the puppets had left the occupied position, the Mujahideen were given more freedom to conduct an Islamic education. Currently, AQAP almost completely controls the area. Yemen Times publishes a map of al-Radhoum and the neighboring district Mayfa, where the city of Azzan located, that had been freed by the Mujahideen in the summer of 2011 (see map).
Yemen Times adds that al Qaeda has started to build the social life of the area in accordance with Sharia; taken the duties of the protection of commercial stores and began forming the administrative center of the area.
Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, the Mujahideen eliminated one of the ringleaders of the military intelligence of Saleh's regime by organizing an ambush on his convoy in the southern province of Lahj.
AQAP Special Forces attacked the military convoy with a Major Kamal Ashwal the Anad air force base east of Houta, the provincial capital of Lahj, eliminating the head of military intelligence on the spot and injuring 2 of his bodyguards.
After killing Ashwal, fighters of al-Qaeda engaged in battle with the police puppets in the heart of the capital of Lahj. A large number of Mujahideen took control over the suburbs, the official of the puppet regime said.
At the same time, AQAP Mujahideen managed to completely free the region of Al-Hamrah, which is in Lahj. During the fighting with the Mujahideen, factions of military puppets actively used heavy, middle and light weapons. Three puppets were injured, one of them is in critical condition, after the Mujahideen took over the region of Al-Hamrah (see map).
The source said that the operation of liberating the region was led by AQAP field commander Jassar, who three months earlier was proclaimed dead by Saleh's regime.
Meanwhile the command of AQAP denied information about the deaths of 29 of its soldiers during the bombing of Zinjibar. The statement emphasized that among the dead was not a single Mujahid.
However, Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack on the headquarters of the military "police" of Saleh's regime in the capital of the province of Lahj, which resulted in a puppet being eliminated and 5 wounded. The operation was carried out in response to the killing by puppets of the Muslim child Muhammad Ali Hamid.
Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center
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