Yemeni Military Seizes Jihadist Strongholds

The Yemeni military announced June 12 that it had retaken control of two towns seized in early 2011 by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the jihadist group's Yemeni franchise. Until now, the Yemeni government's internal divisions and distraction with rebel movements in the country's north and south had prevented Sanaa from launching a decisive offensive against the group.

The military's success in ousting AQAP demonstrates that it has been able to set aside its internal issues and refocus its attention on the jihadist threat, at least for now. However, holding the towns will be more difficult than taking them was. In order to prevent AQAP militants from recapturing the cities, Yemen must win the support of local tribes needed to defend the towns after the military withdraws. In the longer term, the Yemeni government must resolve its considerable internal tensions, which gave AQAP the opportunities to seize the towns in the first place. Even if the government is successful on both counts, AQAP will likely respond to the offensive by launching reprisal attacks throughout the country, especially in the capital.