Islamist Gangs Raid Southern Yemen

The port city of Aden on Yemen’s southern coast has been invaded by swarms of Islamist militia fighters, some linked to al Qaeda. The Yemeni government has done little to aid the town, engaged with the "threat" of unarmed protesters in the north. Many say that President Ali Abdullah Saleh—who is recovering in Saudi Arabia from his recent attack—intended for the chaos to erupt, recalling the brutal discriminatory policies his government has brought on the people of south Yemen for years. The country’s American-trained counterterrorism unit has not been deployed, and gangs have captured at least two towns. Many fear that Yemen may lapse into “another Taliban state like Afghanistan," though other refugees are more afraid of the Yemeni forces than the militants.