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Because of that, the conflict in Yemen risks becoming a proxy war in the struggle between the Iranians and the Saudis for preeminence in the Middle East.
Officials: Al Qaeda fighters free 270 from Yemeni prison
Al Qaeda attacks jail in Yemen, frees inmates 02:15
Story highlights
- Al Qaeda fighters attack a prison and other government buildings, freeing many prisoners
- Government troops clash with the fighters, most of whom flee
- Yemen is descending into chaos as a Shia-Sunni conflict draws in regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran
Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)Al
Qaeda fighters attacked a prison in the coastal Yemeni city of Al
Mukallah early Thursday, freeing at least 270 prisoners, a third of whom
have al Qaeda links, a senior Defense Ministry official has told CNN.
Khaled Batarfi, a senior al Qaeda figure, was among the escapees, officials said.
Dozens
of attackers took control of government buildings, including the city's
Central Prison, Central Bank and radio station during the assault early
Thursday, according to officials.
Government
troops arrived early Thursday and clashed with the al Qaeda fighters,
and most of the militants fled, the officials said.
Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, shown in Berlin in 2012, fled to Saudi Arabia after his ouster.
Last
month, hundreds of inmates escaped from Al Mansoorah Central Prison in
Aden after clashes between Shiite Houthi rebels and forces loyal to
ousted Sunni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.
A proxy war?
Yemen has been descending into chaos in the weeks since Shiite Houthi rebels removed Hadi, a Sunni, from power.
The
sectarian nature of the conflict is drawing in regional rivals Saudi
Arabia, which is predominately Sunni -- and is the country to which Hadi
ultimately fled -- and Iran, which is predominately Shiite and supports the Houthi rebels.
Yemeni
civilians and security forces search for survivors in rubble after
Saudi airstrikes against Houthi rebels near Sanaa Airport on March 26.
Because
of that, the conflict in Yemen risks becoming a proxy war in the
struggle between the Iranians and the Saudis for preeminence in the
Middle East. The Saudis have conducted airstrikes against the Houthi
rebels and could send in ground troops.
But
little is simple in the Middle East. And while the conflict between the
Houthis and forces loyal to Hadi rages in the western part of the
country, where it has caused hundreds of civilian deaths, al Qaeda in
the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, controls parts of eastern Yemen.
AQAP is considered one of the most ruthless branches of the terrorist organization.
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