Southern Abyan Offensive (2016)

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Southern Abyan Offensive (2016)
Part of the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
Abyan offensive of AQAP in 2016.png
The territory that AQAP seized during the offensive showed in dark grey, surrounded by black lines.
Date2–20 February 2016 (18 days)
Location
Shuqrah and Ahwar, Abyan Governorate Yemen
Result

AQAP victory

  • AQAP united its western and eastern parts of its Emirate
Belligerents

ShababFlag.svg Al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen

Flag of Yemen.svg Yemen

Commanders and leaders
ShababFlag.svg Abu Hamza al-Zinjibari   [1] [2]
ShababFlag.svg Tawfiq Belaidi
Flag of Yemen.svg Sheikh Mazen al-Aqrabi  (Popular resistance unit senior commander)
Units involved
unknown unknown
Strength
unknown unknown
Casualties and losses
unknown 3 killed
38-40 captured [3]
17-20 executed [4]

The Southern Abyan Offensive refers to a 2016 offensive that AQAP launched in late February, which ended with a victory for AQAP as Yemeni tribal fighters loyal to president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi were driven out of the Abyan Governorate.

Contents

The offensive

The AQAP was beginning to take parts of other remaining areas of southern Abyan from the beginning of February, when they entered Ahwar and other towns. During the fight for Awhar, 3 AQAP fighters were killed by Southern Movement fighters in a fight in a checkpoint. [5] [6] The major offensive began in the dawn of 20 February, with the AQAP first taking Ahwar, then Shuqrah, in one day fighting, that resulted to the death of 3 Hadi government loyalists. Also on the same day, AQAP attacked the new base of the Hadi government in the port city of Aden, killing one tribal leader and one of his bodyguards. After the tribal fighters abandoned the southern Abyan, and headed for the north, AQAP set up their flags in the government building, establishing a sharia court, and an Emirate, that is led by Tawfiq Belaidi, the brother of Abu Hamza al-Zinjibari, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike on 3 February. [7] [8]

Strategic importance

Southern Abyan is located in a region with a massive strategic importance for the AQAP because of its geographical connection with the coastal city of Mukalla, the headquarters of AQAP. Mukalla was seized by the AQAP in the summer of 2015, the first major victory of AQAP since the beginning of the war. [9] [10] [11]

Aftermath

On 8 April 2016, more than 35 Hadi Yemeni government soldiers were captured by AQAP soldiers in Ahwar. 17 or more than 20 of them were executed by firing squad, with the others being wounded but still alive, and with others believed to have escaped and get to safety out of Ahwar. The soldiers were travelling from Aden to Al Mahrah Governorate via Ahwar, and during hair passing in Ahwar they have been ambushed. One day later, on 9 April, AQAP denied that its fighters executed the soldiers, blaming a local armed fighter named Ali Aqeel. "We entered Ahwar around two months ago to chase this corrupt individual and his gang," the statement said. [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

In its war on terrorism in Yemen, the US government describes Yemen as "an important partner in the global war on terrorism". There have been attacks on civilian targets and tourists, and there was a cargo-plane bomb plot in 2010. Counter-terrorism operations have been conducted by the Yemeni police, the Yemeni military, and the United States Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukalla</span> City Federal Capital in Hadramaut, Yemen

Mukalla is a seaport and the capital city of Yemen's largest governorate, Hadhramaut. The city is in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the Gulf of Aden, on the shores of the Arabian Sea, about 480 kilometres east of Aden. It is the most important port city in the Hadhramaut region. It is also the sixth-largest city in Yemen, with a population of approximately 595,000 as of 2023. The city is served by the nearby Riyan International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyan Governorate</span> Governorate of Yemen

Abyan is a governorate of Yemen. The Abyan region was historically part of the Fadhli Sultanate. It was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army militant group. Its capital is the city of Zinjibar. This governorate is noted for its agriculture, in particular the cultivation of date palms and animal husbandry.

Zinjibar is a port and coastal town in south-central Yemen, the capital of Zinjibar District and the Abyan Governorate. It is located next to the Wadi Bana in the Abyan Delta. From 1962 to 1967, it was the administrative capital of the Fadhli Sultanate, although the royal residence remained at the former capital of Shuqrah. At the time of the 2004 census, Zinjibar's population numbered 19,879 inhabitants. The town supports a small seaside resort and fishing industry. Cotton grown in the area is brokered in the market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen</span> Ongoing conflict

The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, the United States and their allies, and al-Qaeda-affiliated cells in Yemen. It is a part of the Global War on Terror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Movement</span> Yemeni southern separatist movement and organization

The Southern Movement, sometimes known as the Southern Separatist Movement, or South Yemen Movement, or Aden Movement, and colloquially known as al-Hirak, is a political movement and paramilitary organization active in the south of Yemen since 2007, demanding secession from the Republic of Yemen and a return to the former independent state of South Yemen. At present, its best-known political offshoot, the Southern Transitional Council led by Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, is the de facto leadership across many provinces of the south.

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The 2012 Abyan offensive was an offensive by the Yemeni military against Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in the province of Abyan with the purpose of re-capturing the militant-held towns of Zinjibar and Jaʿār.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mukalla (2015)</span> Battle of the Yemeni Civil War

The First Battle of Mukalla (2015) was a battle between al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, local tribesmen, and the Yemen Army for control of the coastal city of Mukalla, Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyan campaign</span> Campaign of the Yemeni Civil War

The Abyan campaign was a campaign for control of the Abyan Governorate of Yemen, between the Houthis and Yemen Army units loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh on one side, and militiamen and Yemen Army units loyal to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on the other side, supported by jihadists of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The Pro-Hadi Forces recaptured the Abyan Governorate on 11 August 2015, after launching an offensive on pro-Houthi forces in early August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shabwah campaign</span> Campaign of the Yemeni Civil War

The Shabwah campaign was a campaign for control of the Shabwah Governorate of Yemen, between the Houthis and Yemen Army units loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh on one side, and militiamen and Yemen Army units loyal to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi on the other side. The offensive was also launched during a previously started AQAP offensive.

In early December 2015, two Yemeni towns, Zinjibar and Ja'ar, were captured by the jihadist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). This was the second capture and occupation of Zinjibar during unrest in Yemen. The town was earlier taken by AQAP's in May 2011 and held until the summer of 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aden unrest (2015–2019)</span> Conflict in southern Yemen between government, separatists and Islamists

The Aden unrest was a conflict between Islamist factions, such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's Yemen Branch, against the loyalists of president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and later to conflict between UAE-backed and Saudi-backed factions within the coalition. In 2017, fighting also broke out between factions aligned with different members of the Saudi-led coalition namely Saudi Arabia-backed Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and Al-Islah and UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council and Southern Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shabwah Governorate offensive</span> Insurgent campaign by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

The Shabwah Governorate offensive is an insurgent campaign by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) forces to take control of Shabwah Governorate during the Yemeni Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State – Yemen Province</span> Branch of Islamic State, active in Yemen

The Islamic State – Yemen Province is a branch of the militant Islamist group Islamic State (IS), active in Yemen. IS announced the group's formation on 13 November 2014.

The Second Battle of Mukalla refers to an armed conflict between al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Saudi-led Coalition. The aim of the coalition offensive was to disable the newly resurgent al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen by recapturing its capital, Mukalla. The battle led to a coalition victory, in which the coalition forces gained control of Mukalla and the surrounding coastal areas.

The following is a timeline of the Yemeni civil war, which began in September 2014.

The Hadramaut insurgency was an insurgency in Yemen launched by AQAP and ISIL-YP against forces loyal to president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyan conflict</span> Clashes of the Yemeni Civil War

The Abyan conflict was a series of clashes between forces of AQAP loyal to Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, and forces loyal to Southern Movement for the control of Abyan between 2016 and 2018.

Abdullatif Al-Sayed Bafaqih was a Southern Yemeni warlord from Abyan who played a major role during the wars against Al-Qaeda after 2012 in Abyan Governorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Southern Yemen offensive</span>

In August 2022, forces of Yemen's Emirati-backed separatist Southern Movement, mainly represented by the Southern Transitional Council, launched an offensive in the Abyan and Shabwah provinces. Initially, the Southern forces mostly fought against Saudi-backed government forces, most of which belonged to the armed wing of the Islah party. Since early September 2022, however, the Southern Movement's offensive has become more focused on battling local al-Qaeda strongholds.

References

  1. "Gulf of Aden Security Review - February 4, 2016 - Critical Threats" . Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  2. "Qaeda tightens its grip on south Yemen coast". Yahoo News. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  3. AFP (2016). "Qaeda kills three in sweep of Yemen's south". Business Standard India. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  4. "Yemen conflict: 'At least 15 government troops' killed". BBC News. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  5. "مقتل 3 من عناصر القاعدة برصاص نقطة للمقاومة الجنوبية بأحور".
  6. "Gulf of Aden". Critical Threats. 8 February 2016. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  7. Reuters Editorial (20 February 2016). "Al Qaeda militants seize southern Yemen town, kill militia leader: residents". Reuters. Retrieved 6 March 2016.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. "Another town in southern Yemen reportedly falls to AQAP". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  9. "Al-Qaeda seize southern Yemen town". Al Arabiya English. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  10. "OSINT Summary: AQAP increases control over coastal route in Yemen's Abyan" . Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  11. "Al-Qaeda Seized Ahwar Town in Yemen's Southern Abyan Province" . Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  12. "Yemen: Gunmen ambush troops, execute 20 by firing squad" . Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  13. Reuters Editorial (9 April 2016). "Suspected Al Qaeda militants execute 17 Yemeni government soldiers". Reuters. Retrieved 23 April 2016.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)