Following Sunday’s US Navy SEALs’ “counter-terrorism” raid that killed scores of civilians in Yemen on Sunday, including an eight-year-old girl, Al-Qaeda has made gains in several parts of Yemen.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) yesterday evening overran three towns in southern Yemen, less than a week after the deadly US raid, officials said.

Kill our kids, then call us terrorists?

The terrorists’ entry into the Abyan provincial towns of Ahwar, Lauder and Shaqra occurred at a time when the White House was hailing the raid as a “success” that will offer “important intelligence that will assist the US in preventing terrorism against its citizens and people around the world.”

Abyan is known for being an Al-Qaeda stronghold, despite multiple counter-terrorist programmes, which include utilising drones. The Saudi-led coalition last summer launched an offensive, to drive militants out, which only worked as a temporary solution.