TheCable

Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda fighters have stormed a prison in southeastern Yemen to free hundreds of inmates, including one of their leaders.

According to AlJazeera, a security officer said that Khalid Batarfi, a senior al-Qaeda figure who had been held for more than four years, was among more than 300 prisoners who escaped from the jail in Hadramout province on Thursday.

It was reported that two prison guards and five inmates were killed during the prison break.

The official said Al-Qaeda gunmen clashed on Thursday with troops guarding the local administration complex in the provincial capital Mukalla, a branch of the central bank and the police headquarters.