Report: Rebels seize Yemen air base used in al-Qaida fight

FILE - In this March 21, 2015, photo, Members of a militia group loyal to Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, known as the Popular Committees, chew qat as they sit next to their tank, guarding a major intersection in Aden, Yemen. Once hailed by President Barack Obama as a model for fighting extremism, the U.S. counterterrorism strategy in Yemen has all but collapsed as the country descends into chaos, according to U.S. and Yemeni officials. (AP Photo/Hamza Hendawi, File) FILE - In this March 21, 2015, photo, Members of a militia group loyal to Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, known as the Popular Committees, chew qat as they sit next to their tank, guarding a major intersection in Aden, Yemen. Once hailed by President Barack Obama as a model for fighting extremism, the U.S. counterterrorism strategy in Yemen has all but collapsed as the country descends into chaos, according to U.S. and Yemeni officials. (AP Photo/Hamza Hendawi, File)

By Associated Press March 25, 2015 1 min read

SANAA, Yemen (AP) – A television station run by Yemen’s Shiite rebels says Houthi fighters and their allies have seized an air base where U.S. troops and Europeans advised the country in its fight against al-Qaida.

The satellite Al-Masirah news channel reported Wednesday that the fighters had “secured” the al-Annad air base. It claimed the base had been looted by both al-Qaida fighters and troops loyal to embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Officials loyal to Hadi had no immediate comment.

The U.S. recently evacuated some 100 soldiers, including Special Forces commandos, from the base after al-Qaida seized a nearby town. Britain also evacuated soldiers.

The base was crucial in the U.S. drone campaign against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which America considers to be the most dangerous branch of the terror group.