Militants linked to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) increased their activity over the weekend. Since March 2, AQAP forces have attacked a U.S. training team, a Yemeni air base, Yemeni military posts, and the headquarters of the Military Intelligence Agency in Aden. About 110 Yemeni soldiers and 35 militants have been killed in the recent violence, and militants have captured 40 Yemeni soldiers. All of the attacks happened on the southwest coast between Aden and Abyan province. At least six attacks over four days is an escalation for AQAP, which typically manages one attack about every five days. Yemen’s political distractions over the past several months have provided jihadist groups such as AQAP allies Ansar al-Sharia more room to operate. Yemen has recently undergone a political transition, electing Abd Rabboh Mansour Hadi to the presidency, which means that the political rigidness that Yemen saw for nearly 22 years under former president Ali Abdullah Saleh is in flux. Yemeni militants are exploiting this period of uncertainty to work toward their political aims. Hadi faces the challenges of building up his own power base while trying to balance Saleh’s political faction and an opposition led by old guard military commanders and tribal leaders.
