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Battle to recapture Yemeni city slows

Al Qaeda took Zinjibar in ’11

Associated Press

  May 18, 2012

Government troops battling Al Qaeda fighters in southern Yemen have made inroads into the militants’ strongholds, but the offensive on a strategic city has slowed because of concerns the extremists could launch a surprise counterattack, military officials said Thursday. Backed by heavy artillery and warplanes, Yemeni troops have advanced into Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, which fell under the control of al-Qaida-linked fighters last year as the country was engulfed by political turmoil that led to the ouster of longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.

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