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| Yemenis Battle for Aden Aiport, Stoking Fears of Wider Conflict | Yemenis Battle for Aden Aiport, Stoking Fears of Wider Conflict |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| AL MUKALLA, Yemen — In a major escalation of Yemen’s civil conflict, rival factions fought for control of the international airport in the southern city of Aden early Thursday, leaving at least three people dead and forcing the airport to shut down, according to witnesses and security officials. | AL MUKALLA, Yemen — In a major escalation of Yemen’s civil conflict, rival factions fought for control of the international airport in the southern city of Aden early Thursday, leaving at least three people dead and forcing the airport to shut down, according to witnesses and security officials. |
| Loud explosions could be heard around the airport throughout the morning and army units from the city and from neighboring provinces could be seen heading to the battle, witnesses said, as fears of a widening conflict grew. Passengers on a plane preparing to depart to Cairo were ordered to disembark and were escorted back to the terminal, according to The Associated Press. | Loud explosions could be heard around the airport throughout the morning and army units from the city and from neighboring provinces could be seen heading to the battle, witnesses said, as fears of a widening conflict grew. Passengers on a plane preparing to depart to Cairo were ordered to disembark and were escorted back to the terminal, according to The Associated Press. |
| Tensions have been building in Aden for months, reflecting the accelerating political crisis that began when the Houthi rebel militia took control of the capital, Sana, in northern Yemen last year. | Tensions have been building in Aden for months, reflecting the accelerating political crisis that began when the Houthi rebel militia took control of the capital, Sana, in northern Yemen last year. |
| In the past few weeks, the country has increasingly been split between rival seats of power in Sana and Aden. As the Houthis have consolidated their control of northern Yemen, the president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was all but forced from office by the Houthis and fled to Aden last month, has sought to re-establish his authority in the south. | In the past few weeks, the country has increasingly been split between rival seats of power in Sana and Aden. As the Houthis have consolidated their control of northern Yemen, the president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was all but forced from office by the Houthis and fled to Aden last month, has sought to re-establish his authority in the south. |
| Mr. Hadi has been gathering his own armed force, composed of military units and tribesmen. The force is intended to counter the Houthis and their allies, including Yemen’s former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who still commands the loyalty of some state security forces in southern Yemen. | |
| Mr. Hadi, in an attempt to solidify his control of Aden, has tried unsuccessfully to dismiss the head of the Special Security Forces, a unit loyal to Mr. Saleh. | |
| An army official fighting on the side of Mr. Hadi said that the clashes on Thursday had begun when troops from the Special Security Forces stormed the airport after claiming that they had taken fire from nearby buildings. His version of the fighting could not immediately be confirmed. | |
| The official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media about continuing military operations, said Mr. Hadi’s militia groups and army units were able to regain control of the airport at about noon, after receiving military reinforcements. The official said those forces were now moving to take the Special Security Forces’ headquarters, to quash what the officer called “the rebellion.” | |
| As Aden has filled with armed men in the past few months, there has been growing concern that fighting there could set off a broader civil war and imperil efforts by the United Nations to negotiate a political resolution. | As Aden has filled with armed men in the past few months, there has been growing concern that fighting there could set off a broader civil war and imperil efforts by the United Nations to negotiate a political resolution. |