text: Gloating as he relaxes with his AK-47, these pictures show an al-Qaeda commander relaxing inside a palace in Yemen just days after terrorists liberated him from prison. Khalid Saeed Batarfi was a senior leader with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) before he was jailed by Yemeni officials. Two days ago he was freed, along with 300 other inmates, as the terrorist group stormed the prison he was being held in, killing two guards. Scroll down for video . Khalid Saeed Batarfi poses for photographs inside the governor's palace in Mukalla, Yemen, days after he was released from prison by terrorists . Batarfi is among AQAP's top regional commanders, known for his leading role in a 2011-2012 battle with government troops during which extremists seized large parts of the south and east of Yemen. Pictures posted online today show the high-ranking terrorist grinning as he sits in the governor's palace in the city of Mukalla, pretending to be on the telephone as he wields an assault rifle. A second photograph shows Batarfi standing on a Yemeni flag in the abandoned building. The militants stormed the Central Prison of Mukalla with machine guns and rocket launchers during a midnight raid on Thursday. Rebels: Yemen's president fled to Saudi Arabia after Houthi rebels launched an attack on his palace in the capital Sana'a . After taking over the prison and freeing a number of members of AQAP, the terrorists overran government buildings and the city's port. According to CBS, AQAP Twitter accounts tweeted after the prison raid: 'All the brothers have been liberated, including Sheikh Batarfi who is now amongst his brothers, all praise to Allah.' Mukalla was previously under control of forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, however it is not clear what resistance to the terrorists remains after he fled the capital Sana'a to Saudi Arabia as rebels launched an attack on his palace.
target: Khalid Saeed Batarfi was freed from a Yemeni prison by al-Qaeda this week .
  Terrorist commander was today pictured inside Mukalla governor's palace .
  He was seen pretending to be on the telephone as he wielded an AK-47 .
  Batarfi led extremists in battle with government forces before he was jailed .