Al-Qaeda in Yemen Seen Stronger Than Ever as War Wears On
- Militant group thrives on ‘state collapse,’ report says
- Thousands have been killed since Saudi Arabia joined civil war
Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Feb. 1, 2017.
Photographer: MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Al-Qaeda has strengthened its power in Yemen, taking advantage of sectarian conflict in the Arab world’s poorest country, according to the International Crisis Group.
Al-Qaeda “is stronger than it has ever been,” the Brussels-based group said in a report Thursday. “As the country’s civil war has escalated and become regionalized, its local franchise, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is thriving in an environment of state collapse, growing sectarianism, shifting alliances, security vacuums and a burgeoning war economy.”