Twenty-one prisoners who supported Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were released from a Hadarmout prison yesterday, Gulf News reported.
The released prisoners helped the group make money as accountants and security guards during its rule in Mukalla.
A lawyer who witnessed the release, Najeeb Khanbash, said the former detainees were poor residents who were only trying to make a living. He added that they posed no danger.
Read: Top Al-Qaeda commander killed in Yemen
Some 386 prisoners have been released since 2015, with 175 Al-Qaeda linked prisoners remaining, according to Khanbash.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took over Mukalla, southern Yemen, and surrounding towns and governed the area with its strict interpretation of Islamic law until April 2015. Upon request by Yemen’s President, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Saudi-led coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, entered the civil war to push out Al-Qaeda forces and Houthi military advancements.