Al Qaeda Captures 2 Yemen Towns

Patterns continue for the Middle East: a failure of power sharing and representation for countries with Shia-Sunni divisions, and religious extremists taking advantage of the instability and power vacuums. Al Qaeda has quickly wrested control of Zinjibar and Jaar in Yemen even as the government battles Houthi rebels. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia supports the government, and Iran supports the rebels. “The security of Aden has also been thrown into doubt recently as residents complain of Islamist gunmen roaming the streets,” reports Deutsche Welle. Aden is a city of 550,000. Yemen, with 24 million people, is roughly 65 percent Sunni and 35 percent Shia. Extremism and new conflicts drive waves of refugees. – YaleGlobal