Yemen says army captures al Qaeda stronghold

Military vehicles drive on a mountainous road on the frontline of fighting against al Qaeda militants in the southern Yemeni province of Shabwa May 5, 2014, in this photo provided by Yemen's defence ministry. REUTERS/Yemen's Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters

ADEN Yemen (Reuters) - Yemeni government forces captured al Qaeda's main stronghold in the southern part of the country on Tuesday after insurgents blew up the local government compound there and fled, the Defence Ministry said.

The mountainous al-Mahfad area of Abyan province, along with Azzan in the adjacent province of Shabwa, has been the militants' main stronghold in Yemen since 2012. In that year, the Yemeni army, with U.S. help, drove the fighters from towns they had seized during a chaotic national uprising in 2011.