Aden (South24) 

The Southern Armed Forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced on Thursday that two of its soldiers were killed in an attack by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Abyan Governorate, east of the capital Aden.

A statement released by the Southern forces’ website said: "Our forces participating in Operation Arrows of the East repelled an attack launched by terrorist elements affiliated with AQAP in Wadi Oemran, east of Mudiyah district in Abyan Governorate."

The Southern forces quoted an operational source as saying that the pro-STC forces repelled the attack that took place in the early hours of the morning.

The statement indicated that "deaths and injuries were inflicted among the attackers, which prompted the rest of them to flee." The source reported that two soldiers from the Southern forces were killed while thwarting the armed attack.

A security source told ‘South24 Center’ that the AQAP elements used light machine guns and snipers during the attack.