Al Qaeda takes key Yemen Army camp, heavy weapons

Aden: Al Qaeda militants in southeast Yemen on Friday seized heavy weapons as they overran a key camp in Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, consolidating their grip on the city, an official said.

"Today al Qaeda fighters took control of the 27th Mechanised Brigade`s camp and seized heavy weapons including tanks and artillery," the official told AFP, confirming that al Qaeda now controlled all of Mukalla a day after seizing its airport.

Residents of the city confirmed the camp had been seized "without resistance".

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Until Friday, the camp in eastern Mukalla had remained loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour al-Hadi and was the only military site not taken over by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The jihadist network`s powerful Yemeni branch took advantage of the growing chaos in the country to target Mukalla, a city of more than 200,000.

It attacked on April 2 and in less than 24 hours seized key areas and freed more than 300 prisoners, including one of its leaders.