Al-Qaeda militants in southeast Yemen on Friday seized heavy weapons as they overran a key camp in Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, consolidating their grip on the city, an official said.

"Today Al-Qaeda fighters took control of the 17th Mechanised Brigade's camp and seized heavy weapons including tanks and artillery," the official told AFP, confirming that Al-Qaeda now controlled all of Mukalla  a day after seizing its airport.