The ongoing war in Yemen could possibly be giving the al-Qaeda in Yemen more room to thrive, spread globally and gain more stability. Al Qaeda could possibly be counting on expanding this war to finally collapse the Yemen government and create a caliphate for itself.
Al Qaeda on Thursday captured a major airport, a sea port and Dhabah oil terminal in Southern Yemen following intense an intense fight with one of Yemen’s fighters. This militia group thereafter seized total control of the Riyan airport and Yemen’s sea port.
This latest advance by al-Qaeda in Yemen branch also known as the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) could probably be a strategy for the group’s means of raising money to fund their terrorism. Al-Qaeda which was a former affiliate to ISIS has been on a journey to match ISIS who is now the deadliest Islamic terror group in the world.
Sources say Al Qaeda’s advancing in Yemen could have been possible since it has been overshadowed by the war in Iraq against ISIS. On the other hand, Houthis in Yemen have also been on the forefront in this war giving more Al Qaeda members the chance to conduct such atrocities.
The latest invasion into the oil refinery by Al Qaeda in Yemen has probably given the group a great territorial power to expand into neighboring countries.
This could be a threat to Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia who are “strategically” placed across the Arabian Sea, west of Yemen. The strategic alliance between the Al Qaeda and the Houthis in Yemen is an equal threat to the nation.
The United States has however continued to support the Saudi campaign against these militants. Saudi-led airstrikes has killed a number of al-Qaeda in Yemen, recently killing a top al-Qaeda fighter in the Yemen branch.
