April
9 April
The battle began at dawn on 9 April, when Ansar al-Sharia forces launched an assault on the barracks of the 111th Infantry Brigade at the outskirts of Lawdar near the local power station. [9] The attack was reportedly timed during a period of bad weather. [8] The militants seized army equipment including tanks, anti-aircraft guns, artillery and missile launchers, which they would use to attempt to push into the town itself. [9] Before they could however, the militants were met by an intense, hours-long combat against local Popular Committee forces, [16] who took up the main line of defense after the army had withdrew from the frontlines. [9] During the battle, Yemeni warplanes bombed a military checkpoint held by the militants, killing five of them. [17] Additional army reinforcements were eventually sent to the battle, leading to the militants withdrawing from the area by the afternoon. [18] Occasional artillery shelling and gunfire was heard throughout the rest of the day, [17] as Popular Committee fighters began setting up checkpoints across the city. [18] According to an Agence France-Presse tally that was verified by "tribal sources", a total of 94 people died during the day, including 74 militants, 14 soldiers and six tribal fighters. [14]
10 April
Reeling from the defense enacted by army and tribal forces the day before, Ansar al-Sharia forces withdrew from the city to al-Ayn, an area encompassing the southeast entrance to Lawdar. [8] The Yemeni Air Force launched bombing runs on two Ansar al-Sharia sites on Lawdar's outskirts, destroying a tank seized the day before. [13] The army conducted artillery shelling on Ansar al-Sharia hideouts to prevent them from sending reinforcements, [19] although locals in Jaar reported militant pickup trucks departing to Lawdar. [13] A local official said that the militants were surrounding Lawdar with the intention to capture it, while distributing flyers to the locals stating their determination to do so. [14] An Ansar al-Sharia tank positioned at a power station four kilometers from the city launched continuous shelling until noon, killing a child and wounding six people. [8]
11 April
Ansar al-Sharia resumed its offensive on Lawdar, launching mortar shelling on the southeast part of the city adjacent to al-Ayn. [8] Three major attacks were launched by the militants, first from the power station, and then from the Zara Mountain and the Yasuf village. [20] Several casualties occurred as Yemeni forces attempted to secure a highway outside of Ladwar and remove Ansar al-Sharia checkpoints. Popular Committee forces seized one checkpoint and destroyed two militant tanks. [9] [21] The Ministry of Defense later published a statement saying that all militant checkpoints had been destroyed and that the army re-opened the road, which connected Lawdar to al-Bayda governorate. [1] Clashes at Jebel Yasuf, a nearby mountain, left 30 militants dead, while 27 other militants, including Ansar al-Sharia commander Ahmed Dararish, were killed at a southern entrance to Lawdar. [1] At least 51 people were killed in the city during the day. [15]
12 April
The battle began expanding from Lawdar to the nearby city of Mudiyah, as Popular Committee forces attacked an Ansar al-Sharia convoy heading to the former. Yemeni warplanes conducted multiple bombing raids on militant positions in al-Ayn, an entrance to Lawdar on its southern outskirts. One of the airstrike hit a militant-operated tank, destroying it and killing everyone inside. Ansar al-Sharia launched mortar shelling around the city, wounding civilians and disabling the local power station, rendering the area without electricity. A Yemeni airstrike later hit a group of militants as they were at the facility. [22] [23] Army soldiers reportedly forced the militants to retreat from the Zara Mountain, a strategic area overlooking the city. [24]
A week later, a post on a jihadist internet forum announced the death of Bara’a Muhammad Salim al Sudani, a Sudanese foreign fighter who was killed in battle fighting alongside Ansar al-Sharia. [25]
13 April
The Yemeni government announced the deployment of 200 soldiers from the elite Counter-Terrorism Unit. [26] [27] The Central Security Forces arrived in Lawdar during the morning, engaging in clashes west of the city, including in the Sharwan Mountain area. [20] The clashes resulted in the deaths of 28 militants and the arrest of two senior militants, as well as Ansar al-Sharia's withdrawal the Zara village. [20] [28] Clashes across the city left at least 37 people dead by the end of the day, of them 31 militants, five tribesmen, and a child who was hit by mortar fire. [12]
14 April
On 14 April, fighting in Lawdar was minimal as Ansar al-Sharia "withdrew to positions they occupied before the fighting began, leaving behind several snipers," according to local officials. The militants repositioned themselves at Umm Sorra, an area five kilometres southwest of Lawdar. [12]
15 April
Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing at a Popular Committee checkpoint near Lawdar at al-Hodn, killing two tribesmen. Two additional tribal fighters and six militants were killed during clashes in al-Minyasa, another area near Lawdar. [29]
17 April
A highway military checkpoint on a hill near Lawdar was a attacked by a suspected Ansar al-Sharia militant driving a car bomb, who killed himself along with three soldiers, while wounding another five. [30] [31] Ansar al-Sharia mortar fire on a military base south of Lawdar left 10 soldiers wounded. [31]
18 April
Airstrikes on an area near Lawdar left six militants dead, while Ansar al-Sharia mortar shelling destroyed five homes and killed two children. [32] [33]
19 April
Army and tribal forces launched early morning attacks on Ansar al-Sharia positions on the outskirts of Lawdar. Clashes between Ansar al-Sharia and the 111th Infantry Brigade left seven militants dead, among them four Somalis, and five wounded, while six soldiers were injured. [34] [35]
21 April
Clashes in the Lawdar area left one soldier dead and 10 wounded on the army's side, as well as one Ansar al-Sharia militant dead. [36] Yemeni airstrikes hit Ansar al-Sharia positions on Jebel Yasuf and al-Minyasa, killing 13 suspected militants. [37] An airstrike later in the day struck a militant hideout southeast of the city, killing 17. A government statement reporting the strike did not specify whether it was a Yemeni or American operation. [38] The Ministry of Defense announced that it would be sending additional army reinforcements to Lawdar. [39]
22 April
Army artillery shelling near Lawdar on positions recently captured by Ansar al-Sharia killed thirteen militants, including three Somalis, and forced them to withdraw. Popular Committee tribesmen were also involved in the operation. [40] [41] Four militants were killed by a Yemeni airstrike. [36]
23 April
Yemeni airstrikes near Lawdar struck a vehicle and two Ansar al-Sharia hideouts, killing at least 15 people. Locals witnessed other militants retrieving the bodies and burying them at the village of Umm Ayn. [42] A separate airstrike killed four other militants. [43]
26 April
Brigadier General Abdulqawi Al-Masmari was removed as commander of the 111th Infantry Brigade, reportedly due to accusations from the local Popular Committees that he had been aiding Ansar al-Sharia. His replacement was announced to be Faraj Hussein Ghaleb. [3]
27 April
Popular Committee forces conducted a nighttime ambush on Ansar al-Sharia in al-Arqub, killing five militants. Two other militants were killed in a separate encounter near Lawdar. [44]
29 April
Ansar al-Sharia uploaded a statement claiming that it had seized 20 tanks from the military during the battle. [11]
30 April
Heavy clashes on the outskirts of Lawdar left 18 militants, two tribesmen and one army colonel dead. During the clashes, militant positions in the mountains southeast of the city were hit, destroying a tank, two machine gun-equipped technicals, and ammunition supplies. The hours-long clashes ended in Ansar al-Sharia forces withdrawing further south from Lawdar towards Amiin. [45]
May
3 May
Popular Committee forces pushed back a late-day Ansar al-Sharia assault on the southern entrance of Lawdar, with the support of army artillery. 12 suspected militants were killed and two of their vehicles were destroyed. Two Ansar al-Sharia mortar shells wounded four civilians within the city. [46] An airstrike during the morning left live militants dead. [6]
5 May
Yemeni airstrikes on Lawdar killed five militants. [47]
6 May
Heavy clashes took place in the city between Ansar al-Sharia and the Popular Committees, leaving 28 militants dead and forcing them to withdraw to al-Ayn, where they conducted burials. During the hours-long clashes, two Yemeni warplanes launched bombing runs on the militants. Ali Ahmed Eida, spokesperson for the local Popular Committees, denied the presence of Counter-Terrorism Unit forces in the area in contrast to the government's claims, and said that only five Central Security Forces military vehicles were present. [48]
12 May
Coinciding with the launch of a governorate-wide military offensive, the 111th Infantry Brigade in Lawdar mobilized for the operation as the Yemeni Air Force dropped leaflets on the city urging locals to not comply with the orders of Ansar al-Sharia to avoid being bombed. [49]
14 May
Army missile strikes destroyed a moving vehicle on the outskirts of Lawdar, killing six Ansar al-Sharia militants. [50]
15 May
Government forces launched an offensive to capture Jebel Yasuf from Ansar al-Sharia. The militants had been entrenched in the mountain for months, setting up trenches, barricades and other fortifications. The operation was being led by the 111th Infantry Brigade along with forces from the Republican Guard. [5] Warplanes bombarded militant positions on the mountain before the army moved up to confront them. [51] According to Saeed Gharama, leader of the Popular Committees in Lawdar, army forces "were very afraid and about to withdraw, but the fighters of the people's committees reinforced them and boosted their morale." [5] The militants were eventually driven off the strategic mountain, scoring a major victory for government forces. [52] [53] [5] Twelve militants were reported to have died during the day, along with eight tribal fighters and eight soldiers, including Colonel Qasim Dabwan of the 111th Infantry Brigade, who was shot and killed by a sniper. Popular Committees spokesperson Ali Ahmed said "We have managed to push the extremists further away from the southern and western entrances of the city." [4]
16 May
Beginning after dawn prayers, the army and the Popular Committees launched an operation to clear the rest of Jebel Yasuf. Under the cover of artillery fire, soldiers and tribesmen moved through and secured the Jebel Yasuf by 11:00 local time, driving away the militants. 16 militants were killed in clashes on the outskirts of Lawdar, including Ansar al-Sharia commander Samir Salem al-Moqayda, while eight soldiers and tribal fighters died. [2]
17 May
Ansar al-Sharia withdrew from the power station, which had been the scene of the most intense fighting of the battle. There, the bodies of a dozen executed soldiers and tribesmen as well as their severed heads were found. [7] [54] Later in the day, Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed announced that Lawdar had been fully secured from Ansar al-Sharia, providing an end to the battle. Locals took to the streets to celebrate the victory. [54]
Yemen 
Abdulqawi Al-Masmari [3] 
Military of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula 
