Local residents in the southern Yemeni city of Batis revealed that Ansar Al-Sharia militants took control of the city yesterday.
Witnesses said 10 armoured vehicles carrying scores of militants from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group entered the city.
Batis is the home city of Abdellatif Al-Sayed, the head of the tribal militias known as the Popular Committees in Abyan.
Eyewitnesses added that Ansar Al-Sharia militants told residents that they came only to defeat “the tyrants”.
On Wednesday, the group killed Popular Committees’ deputy leader Ali Al-Sayed and three of his companions and seized Jaar, the largest city in Abyan.
Abyan’s residents fear a resurgence of the 2011-2012 scenario when the province was the scene of fierce fighting between Al-Qaeda and units from the Yemeni army and local tribes. The fighting lasted a year, leaving hundreds dead and injured. It also resulted in the destruction of the province’s infrastructure and houses, in addition to the displacement of more than 240,000 residents.
Since 2012, tribal leaders – or Popular Forces – have been in charge of the province’s security due to the absence of the state’s security apparatus.