The terrorist group Al Qaida seized control of a major airport, sea port and oil terminal in southern Yemen today, consolidating its hold on the country's largest province. It came  amid wider chaos pitting Shiite rebels against forces loyal to the exiled president and a Saudi-led air campaign. Military officials and residents said Al Qaida fighters clashed briefly with members of one of Yemen's largest brigades outside Mukalla, a city the militants overran earlier this month and where they freed prison inmates. Protests: Shiite rebels chant slogans as they hold up their weapons during a demonstration against an arms embargo imposed by the U.N. Security Council on Houthi leaders, in Sanaa, Yemen on Thursday . Today, Shiite rebels were involved in a demonstration on Thursday against an arms embargo imposed by the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday . The militants then seized control of the Riyan airport and moved to secure their hold on the city's main sea port, which is also an oil terminal. Security officials said the leaders of the brigade in charge of protecting the entire area fled. The latest advance marks a major gain for Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemeni affiliate is known. The group has exploited the chaos in Yemen, where Shiite rebels, along with allied military units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, captured the capital in September and have been advancing despite a three-week Saudi-led air campaign. The rebels are staunch opponents of Al Qaida but are currently locked in fierce battles with forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled to Saudi Arabia last month. The south eastern city of Mukalla is the capital of Yemen's largest province, Hadramawt, where Al Qaida has long maintained a presence despite US drone strikes and Yemeni counter terrorism operations. Nasser Baqazouz, an activist in the city, said the troops guarding the airport put up little resistance. A politician in Mukalla, Ali al-Kathiri, said Al Qaida and local tribal leaders had been negotiating with the brigade commanders to ensure a peaceful handover. As Al Qaida seized control of a major airport, sea port and oil terminal in southern Yemen today, Shiite rebels took part in a demonstration against an arms embargo . Rebels protesting against the arms embargo imposed by the U.N. Security Council on Houthi leaders . However, some fighters, suspected of being loyal to Saleh, clashed with the militants. A smaller air defence brigade handed over its camp to Al Qaida, apparently to avoid clashes, al-Kathiri said. A Saudi-led coalition has been striking the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies from the air since March 26, but has carried out no attacks on Mukalla or other Al Qaida-controlled areas. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that at least 364 civilians are reported to have been killed since the start of the airstrikes at the end of March, including at least 84 children and 25 women. This is in addition to hundreds of fighters killed. Today, Shiite rebels were involved in a demonstration against an arms embargo imposed by the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. The resolution targets the rebels who rule most of Yemen.
Al Qaida seized control of an airport, sea port and oil terminal in Yemen . Latest advance marks a major gain for Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula . Came amid chaos pitting rebels against forces loyal to exiled president .