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A prison in the Yemeni city of Al Mukallah was stormed by a number of al-Qaeda insurgents on Thursday. Officials say that over 270 prisoners were freed by the terror group`s fighters during the attack. A Yemeni official representing the Defense Ministry said that approximately one of three convicts who were freed by the extremist group was known to have had been in connection with al-Qaeda.
The al-Qaeda group did not target the prison in the city of Al Mukallah randomly. It seems that within the freed prisoners is one of the most important figures of the terrorist organization, Khaled Batarfi. Other buildings were also taken under the control of al-Qaeda while the extremists were storming the prison. The Central Bank and the radio station were the other two government objectives which were taken by the terrorists.
The Yemeni government troops have rapidly arrived at the prison in Al Mukallah. Shots were fired by both of the sides but, in the end, numerous al-Qaeda insurgents succeeded to escape the confrontation.
It`s only been a month since the last conflict of the same kind occurred in Yemen. That time, the location was the city of Aden. Then, hundreds of convicts escaped the Al Mansoorah prison as the Houthi fighters, who are of Shiite tradition and dangerous rebels in Yemen were fighting troops under the command of Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, the Yemeni president who was dismissed.
Later, president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi fled the country in search for protection in Saudi Arabia.
After the episode of Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi`s dismissal, provoked by the Shiite Houthi group, Yemen can no longer find its order. The conflict in Yemen is of great importance because it could be extrapolated to an international level. While the Suadi Arabia hosts the former president of Yemen under its Sunni wings, Iran, a state which is mainly Shiite, could be brought on the side of the Houthi fighters. In the present their is such a situation, however the conflict currently remains at a national level, a battle within the same religion, Islam.
Still, there is a lot of pressure. Iran and Saudi Arabia both want to be the hegemonic power in the Middle East. Moreover, the Saudis have already attacked the Houthi rebels through airstrikes. Experts say that Saudi Arabia could also send pedestrian forces to fight the Houthis in Yemen.
Image Source: The Telegraph
