SANAA, Yemen, May 29 (UPI) -- Islamic extremists have taken over a city in southern Yemen, residents said Sunday, while a confrontation in the capital, Sanaa, eased.
"The militants are everywhere and we cannot leave our homes," a resident of coastal Zinjibar, east of Aden, told CNN. "They suddenly arrived and in large numbers. There were no clashes when they arrived on Friday night. We tried to complain to security forces but could not find them."
By Saturday, "hundreds" of masked jihadists patrolled the streets, witnesses said.
It was not known whether they were soldiers of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is active in the province.
In Sanaa, President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces and the powerful al-Hashid tribe said Sunday they have not made a truce, but both sides were pulling back while talks proceeded.
The al-Hashids took up arms against Saleh last week after he balked at an Arab deal to end his long rule.
In the southern city of Say'oon, three French humanitarian workers were kidnapped Saturday, an Interior Ministry official said.
