Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance

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Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance
AlliesFlag of Yemen.svg  Yemen
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
OpponentsAQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Battles and wars Yemeni civil war (2014–present)

The Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance, also known as the Tribal Alliance of Hadramout or the Hadhramaut Tribes Alliance, is an armed group involved in the ongoing Yemeni Civil War. The Alliance's forces are primarily drawn from the Hadhrami people in southern Yemen. During the civil war, the Alliance is often cited as supporting the government of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and is noted for operating alongside the Republic of Yemen Armed Forces in Hadhramaut. [1] [2]

Operations

The Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance was formed in the Hadhramaut region of Yemen, where it actively sought to gain more autonomy from the Yemeni Government. [3] [4] In 2014 Alliance actively fought against militants aligned with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), though it also issued statements in opposition to the Yemeni Government following a series of terrorist attacks in Seiyun, and members of the Alliance voiced doubts as to the effectiveness of the government's anti-terrorist campaigns. [5] Following the outbreak of the Yemeni Civil War in 2015, civil infighting created a power vacuum in Southern Yemen. The lack of an organized government presence allowed for militant groups, most notably AQAP, to take control of parts of the region. In response, the Tribal Alliance and a number of other militia groups formed a centralized military command to coordinate the defense of the lands under their control. [6] In April 2015 forces from these tribes retook land around the cities of Mukalla and Al-Shihr from AQAP and Ansar al-Sharia militants, whom had themselves captured Mukalla on 2 April. [2] The Alliance participated in the Second Battle of Mukalla alongside Yemeni and UAE soldiers one year later in April 2016, and successfully drove AQAP and its affiliates out of Hadhramaut. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 al-Batati, Saleh; Fitch, Asa (25 April 2016). "Yemeni Troops Retake al Qaeda-Controlled City". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Yemen observer | 'Hadhramout Tribal Alliance' Receives Mukalla From A…". archive.is. 8 April 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  3. Bafana, Haykal. "Hadhramaut In A State Of Flux - Blog | Haykal Bafana". blog.haykal.sg. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  4. Brehony, Noel (30 June 2017). Hadhramaut and its Diaspora: Yemeni Politics, Identity and Migration. I.B.Tauris. ISBN   9781786721679.
  5. Al-Dawsari, Nadwa. "Tribes and AQAP in South Yemen". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  6. Al-awsat, Asharq (14 February 2015). "Yemen: Southern tribes to unite in face of Al-Qaeda gains". ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive. Retrieved 7 March 2018.