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Al Qaeda-linked militants appear to be increasing high-profile attacks in Aden, possibly to discredit the Yemeni government's claims of having made gains in Abyan, possibly in accord with an already-developed plan to accomplish something in Aden.
A suicide bomber killed nine Yemeni soldiers in Aden. A suspected al Qaeda operative detonated a truck of explosives at a military air force camp. The military was preparing to deploy troops to Abyan to reinforce positions. Intense fighting reportedly followed the attack.
Abyan tribesmen control the road from Shabwah to Abyan. A convoy of militants heading to Zinjibar was stopped in Mudia along the road.
A resolution to the political crisis in the capital will not end the fragmentation of the Yemeni state, which remains at risk of a broader armed conflict. The current situation has increased al Qaeda's operating space in Yemen.