3 al-Qaida members escape from prison in southern Yemen

At least three members of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch escaped from an intelligence jail in the southern province of Abyan on Wednesday evening, a security official told Xinhua. Three al-Qaida inmates escaped from the military intelligence jail in Mudiyah town in Abyan province, after a short shootout with guards at the prison, the local security official said on condition of anonymity. "An armed squad of terrorists attacked security guards at the main gate of Mudiyah prison, sparking a short shootout in the area, " the security source said, adding that the three al-Qaida inmates staged the getaway amid the clashes. A local intelligence source confirmed Wednesday's prison escape but declined to give more details. The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions. The militants were targeted by Yemeni security authorities after a US-backed offensive launched in Abyan province months ago routed the militants out of their strongholds that they had been control of for nearly a year. The Yemeni government has beefed up anti-terror operation since Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.