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Al Qaida Consolidating Power in Yemen

(Worthy News)-- Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen consolidated control over much of the country's largest province on Thursday, capturing a major airport, an oil terminal and the area's main military base, and striking an alliance with local tribal leaders to administer the region, the Washington Post reported.

The gains highlight how al-Qaida has exploited the chaos in Yemen, where Shiite rebels are battling forces loyal to exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. A 3-week-old Saudi-led air campaign in support of Hadi has so far failed to halt the rebels' advance.

Military officials and residents said al-Qaida fighters clashed briefly with members of one of Yemen's largest brigades outside Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt province, which the militants overran earlier this month. The militants then seized control of Riyan airport and moved to secure their hold on the city's main seaport, which is also an oil terminal. --[wp_colorbox_media url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-exile-yemeni-vp-calls-on-shiite-rebels-to-halt-offensive/2015/04/16/166c3a02-e426-11e4-ae0f-f8c46aa8c3a4_story.html" type="iframe" hyperlink="Source"]