Residents in Zinjibar were surprised to wake up on Saturday and see face covered militants controlling the main streets of the city.
The militants walked in the streets and asked locals to head back to their homes. They said they wanted streets empty for at least 48 hours. The armed militants entered the city in two large semi trucks without being stopped by security forces in near by checkpoints.
Civilians were very scared as gunshots have been heard since the night before.
Children and women were terrified residents said.
Today, streets are empty and residents stay at home. "Even if we are at home, he are scared that one bullet might enter through the window and kill a family member," said Salem Abdo, of Zinjibar. "explosions are heard tens of times every hour."
Sultan Ali, a resident in Zinjibar, did not know how the militants were able to enter the center of the city, though security forces have been putting tight security on Abyan over the last year. "At least 12 checkpoints were created in Zinjibar by the government over the last two months. How were they able to enter the city? The government is trying to kill us and save itself," said Ali, who also lost a brother in the weaponry storage site that exploded last month in Abyan, killing more than 160 civilians.