Local Editor
Some 18 Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) officials have been released by Houthi revolutionaries in a deal struck between the two groups, Aden Tomorrow reported Tuesday.
The AQAP militants were released in a deal which would see them assist with an uptick of fighting in Al-Bayda governorate, southern Yemen, between the Houthis, AQAP and the Saudi-led coalition.
However, a statement published via AQAP’s open source network on Saturday claimed the 18 prisoners in Al-Bayda “attacked” prison guards and escaped without any mention of Houthi involvement.
“There was a Saudi-led coalition air strike in Al-Bayda and some Al-Qaeda fighters were killed and others injured – many escaped,” Hussain Al-Bukhaithi, a Sana’a based journalist, told MEMO. “Saudi has targeted many prisons since the beginning of the war.”
The Houthis and Al-Qaeda are in direct conflict with each other.
Nearly one year ago, Qasim Al-Rimi, AQAP’s commander, clarified that the Al-Qaeda group fights alongside US-backed factions against the Houthis in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition to neutralize territorial threats posed by the Houthi group since March 2015.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
