Al Qaeda-linked militants in south Yemen still control large swathes of territory, despite the efforts of the Yemeni military and cooperating tribal militias.

The Yemeni navy sank a speedboat approaching naval vessels. The commander of the navy, Major General Ruwais Mujawar, said that the boat had ignored warning shots and was suspected of carrying explosives.

Fighting in Abyan continued. Seven Yemeni soldiers were killed Friday and six others were injured in Dofes. A senior security official reported that 25 al Qaeda-linked militants attacked a military base in Dofes, and that one of the militants was killed. Three militants were injured Saturday in Zinjibar after fighting with pro-government tribesmen.

A radical Islamist posted an update on the fighting in Zinjibar on a web forum. The report claimed that al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Sharia militants fought Yemeni forces in Masameer district, about 7 km from Zinjibar. Twelve militants were killed and “an innumerable amount” of Yemeni soldiers were killed. Four tanks were said to have been taken, two were destroyed, and another was damaged. A second writer claimed that ten tanks were burned. (Post obtained and translated by SITE.)

Yemeni soldiers in Shabwah governorate were ambushed. The soldiers were patrolling oil installations in Ataq. Two of the soldiers were killed and four others injured.

Yemenis across the country protested against the government on Friday. Major protests occurred in Sana’a, Taiz, al Bayda, and Hudaydah. A pro-government demonstration was also held in Sana’a.

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.