Yemen army enters third city after al-Qaeda pullout
Residents of the southern Yemeni city of Zinjibar return home after the army retook the city from al Qaeda-linked militants June 14, 2012.
Image by: KHALED ABDULLAH / REUTERS
Image by: KHALED ABDULLAH / REUTERS
Yemeni troops entered the city of Shuqra on Friday after Al-Qaeda militants pulled out, the third jihadist bastion in the south to fall in the space of a week, a local official said.
"The army has entered Shuqra after Al-Qaeda fighters fled towards Azzan," some 110 kilometres (70 miles) northeast of the coastal city, said the official asking not to be identified.
Shuqra was the last major stronghold of Al-Qaeda in Abyan province to fall to government forces, which launched an all-out offensive last month that had already resulted in the recapture of the towns of Jaar and Zinjibar.
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