Al Qaeda and Islamic militants have taken over the Yemni coastal town of Zinjibar, residents told Reuters on Sunday.

"About 300 Islamic millitants and Al Qaeda men came into Zinjibar and took over everything on Friday," said one resident.   

Zinjibar is the capital of Abyan province in south central Yemen. The country has been wracked by violence amid protests to end President Ali Abdullah Saleh's near 33-year rule.

Washington considers the Yemen-based Al Qaeda branch the world's most active terror cell. The group has strongholds in remote mountain regions in the provinces of Shabwa, Abyan, Jouf and Marib. - Reuters