Did ISIS Make a Comeback to Yemen?

Two security incidents in the governorates of Al-Bayda and Hadramout, two weeks ago, stirred many questions about the reality of ISIS return to Yemen after a hiatu phase that began in late 2020 due to a series of mistakes and threats which accompanied the organization since its emergence in this country in 2014. 

After two years of lethargy, ISIS declared suddenly that it carried out a suicide operation against the Houthis in the central area of Afar in Al-Bayda governorate, according to the ISIS-affiliate Al-Naba news platform. The platform described talking about the destruction of ISIS in Yemen two years ago as “allegations” although it admitted that this is the first attack carried out by the organization since its activities stopped in 2020. 

ISIS’s comeback in Yemen has dominated the coverage of media outlets not only through Al-Bayda operation. Two days after announcing carrying out the operation, the security authorities in Hadramout said they arrested senior ISIS-affiliate commanders including Idris Mohsen Al-Marfadi known as “Abu Mohammed Al-Madani” and Saleh Ashour Fajeej known as "Ubadah Al-Adani" who is the commander of ISIS Artillery Battalion. 

ISIS emergence in Yemen dates back to October 2014 when dissidents from AQAP swore allegiance to ISIS Emir in Iraq, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, who was killed by a US operation in Barisha, Syria in 2019. 

Due to its poor capabilities, ISIS branch in Yemen wanted to assert itself by implementing bloody operations in mosques affiliated with the Houthis in Sanaa. However, this beginning was the first move towards the end. The initial impressions about the organization obstructed its ability to attract new members among tribes. This caused the return of a number of its members to AQAP according to videos published by the latter at that time.

On the other hand, ISIS launched qualitative terrorist operations, especially in the Southern capital city of Aden which was selected as a theatre of its operations since it was liberated from the Houthi in late July 2015. In January 2016, ISIS announced carrying out 33 assassination operations and 4 bomb car attacks that killed 34 and injured 43. In Aden alone, according to a report published by Al-Jazeera Net in 2016, ISIS claimed responsibility of all latest operations through car bombs or suiciders which targeted military and local authority officials in Aden. 

Later in 2019, ISIS declared responsibility of carrying out a bloody operation that targeted the STC-affiliate Security Belt Forces in Aden. This came during the disputes that erupted between the STC and the Yemeni government accused of its ties with radical Islamists in August 2019.

The Yemeni branch tried to move the experience of ISIS main center in Iraq to Yemen without considering the differences between the two countries. This led the Yemeni branch to remain ostracized. It even failed to benefit from the Houthi control on the capital Sanaa to attract new members in the Sunni ranks like what AQAP did. 

Along with that, the disputes between ISIS in Yemen and AQAP branch have developed into armed clashes since 2017 as Al-Bayda witnessed violent confrontations and mutual semi-daily target operations. For the newly-formed organization which has little financial and manpower capabilities, the normal losses during the confrontations were considered a big blow. Unlike AQAP, ISIS had no influence in any Yemeni governorate after it gathered all its members in Al-Bayda following the Arab Coalition’s declaration about the beginning of security and military operations to normalize conditions in Aden in 2016. However, the influence of the organization in Al-Bayda remained limited. It was limited to areas in Wald Rabi' district in which some areas were controlled by AQAP also. 

Its presence in small geographical areas along with its staunch foe meant the continuing depletion until the end and nothing else. On the other hand, the Houthis didn’t launch any attacks against the two parties in the governorate which was controlled by them during that period. The Houthis probably believed that the fighting between ISIS and AQAP and the depletion related to it will serve their interests. After three years of confrontations, the Houthis reached an agreement with AQAP to withdraw from areas under their control in the district according to our exclusive sources. They launched a decisive battle against the embattled and exhausted ISIS and managed to settle it in their favor after killing all organization’s members including its Emir Abu Alwaleed Al-Adani.