Yemen: Troops regain control over al-Qaida stronghold in the south
SANAA, Yemen - Yemen's state-run news agency says the military in a surprise dawn attack has regained control of one of al-Qaida's key strongholds in the south, which the militant group has held for more than a year.
Quoting local officials, SABA says army troops swept into the town of Jaar early Tuesday sparking fierce clashes and forcing militants to flee toward another al-Qaida stronghold, the southern coastal town of Shaqra.
Al-Qaida took control of large swaths of southern Yemen during last year's turmoil linked to the uprising against then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Waleed Mohammed, a resident contacted by telephone, says people in the town gathered in Jaar's centre to celebrate, firing gunshots in the air.
