/ 15 January 2012

Al-Qaeda militants seize Yemen town

Dozens of al-Qaeda militants have seized a small town about 170km south-east of Yemen’s capital Sana’a, a police source and witnesses said on Sunday.

They said the militants entered the town of Radda in al-Baydah province on Saturday night with little resistance from a small contingent of police and seized an ancient citadel and mosque.

The capture of Radda expands militant control outside the southern province of Abyan, where they have taken over several towns since an uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh began early last year. — Reuters