Al-Qaeda declares establishment of "Islamic Emirate"

A source in Hadhramaut said that Al-Qaeda had distributed leaflets on July 20 and 21 announcing a ban on women going to markets without a male companion and playing sports.

Hadhramaut, which stretches from the Gulf of Aden to the Saudi border, is home to a largely Sufi population that adheres to strict religious norms. Sources say Al-Qaeda has built a base of support among local tribes, which launched an uprising against the central government in Hadhramaut in December 2013 against alleged theft of oil revenues.

Yemeni people receive food aid from a World Food Programme distribution center. Photo: Reuters

Hadhramaut province has recently seen several terrorist attacks, including an attack on a border post in the town of Wadia on the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia that killed several security personnel earlier this month. The airport in the city of Seiyun, in Hadhramaut, as well as security and military checkpoints in the area, were also targeted. AQAP also blamed attacks that killed several women working at a processing plant in Hadhramaut.

Counterterrorism experts say AQAP's operations in Hadhramaut are an extension of the terrorist organization's expansion into other southern Yemeni provinces such as Abyan and Shabwa, where similar "Islamic Emiratis" were declared in recent years before government forces regained control of these areas.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said humanitarian assistance in the city of Amran remains difficult due to clashes between the Houthi rebel group, the Yemeni army and pro-government forces in recent weeks.

According to nld.com.vn