Yemen: Military Faces AQAP in the South

The Yemeni military, led by Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Nasser and other top military officials, has laid siege to the southern city of Loder in an assault on elements of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The intense fighting has lasted three days, with at least 29 people killed. The intensity of the assault and its apparent importance to Sanaa have been heretofore unseen in the government's efforts against AQAP. Sanaa is taking several risks in this attack: Its military is already stretched thin, and the intensity of the shelling could result in more disgruntled civilians willing to join AQAP's ranks.