Yemeni troops seized on Friday the city of Shuqra after Al-Qaeda militants pulled out, the third bastion in the south to fall in the space of a week.

Yemeni troops seized on Friday the city of Shuqra after Al-Qaeda militants pulled out, the third bastion in the south to fall in the space of a week.

"The army has taken control of Shuqra," said a military official, adding that "troops have taken positions in the centre" of the coastal city while militants were seen fleeing.

A local official told AFP that Al-Qaeda militants "pulled out towards Azzan," in Shabwa province, some 110 kilometers to the northeast.
The official said that militants fled after the army "tightened the noose from three fronts."

Shuqra was the last major stronghold of Al-Qaeda in Abyan province to fall to government forces, which launched an all-out offensive last month that had already resulted in the recapture of the towns of Jaar and Zinjibar.
The militants remain in control of the smaller Abyan town of Al-Mahfad.

At least 48 people, including 40 militants, were killed on Thursday in the battle for Shuqra, state media said.
The official Saba news agency said the air force had launched around 100 raids against militants holed up in the city.