The disturbing information comes from a Yemeni official, who told CNN on Wednesday that ISIS has a presence in at least three provinces in southern and central Yemen, and there is now a “real competition” between ISIS and the Yemen-based terror group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.
That competition manifested itself in a gun-battle between the two groups in Yemen’s eastern provinces last month, the same official said, though he did not have specifics on the casualties that resulted from that incident.
According to some experts, ISIS may be seeking a foothold in the Middle East’s poorest country because of its historical importance.
“Yemen is significant in Islam,” said Katherine Zimmerman, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
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Their main activities these days are targeted assassinations of Houthis, and Yemeni government and military officials, he added.
But officials and analysts worry AQAP and ISIS competition in Yemen could create a dynamic wherein the groups compete to strike the U.S. first and hardest.
“It could lead an attack against the U.S. embassy in Sa’ana, which is vulnerable,” said Zimmerman. “And it could also direct its attention northward to Saudi Arabia.”
