Yemen's al-Qaida wing is declaring plans to establish an Islamic emirate in the remote eastern Hadramout province.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) announcement also orders men and women in the east to obey its strict interpretation of Islamic law. The terrorist group issued leaflets with the orders and its intent to create an Islamic state.
ISIL Attacks in Iraq
ISIL Attacks in Iraq- June 10: Mosul captured
- June 11: Tikrit and parts of Beiji captured
- June 12: Samarra and Dhuluiya captured
- June 13: Jalawla and Saadiyah captured
- June 14: Clashes in Ishaki and Dujail
- June 16: Tal Afar captured
The announcement comes weeks after the al-Qaida offshoot called the Islamic State and the Levant (ISIL) declared its own caliphate across parts of Syria and Iraq.
AQAP is one of the most active branches of the global militant network. Its militants have shifted operations to Hadramout after the army, backed by U.S. drones, helped drive the group out of southern strongholds earlier this year.
In addition to AQAP, Yemen's government also is battling southern separatists and northern rebels amid political turmoil that surged after 2011.
