Abyan (South24) 

Yesterday (Jan 3), the Southern Armed Forces recovered military vehicles that had been seized by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) members two weeks ago in an ambush against the pro-Southern Transitional Council (STC) Southern forces, which led to the killing of four soldiers and the capture of others.

An official statement issued by the Southern forces stated that its military units took control of the ’Wadi Atsabah‘ camp between the Ahwar and Al-Wadea districts, north of Abyan, which AQAP elements had been using as an operations center to carry out attacks in the coastal areas adjacent to Shabwa and Abyan.

"The areas of ’Khabar Al-Maraqsha‘ surrounding the camp were cleansed after violent clashes that led to the escape of the organization members towards the neighboring valleys and highlands," the statement added.

Brigadier General Mukhtar Al-Nubi, commander of the Abyan axis, confirmed that their military campaign cut off the supply routes for AQAP, adding that the operations will continue until the terror organization is completely eliminated and the soldiers kidnapped by the organization are freed.

Brigadier General Mukhtar Al-Nubi during the operation (Southern forces media).

A military source in the Southern forces told the ‘South24 Center’ that the fleeing AQAP members left behind two military vehicles of the Southern forces, in addition to a civilian car that they used to carry out the attack in Ahwar district on December 19, 2024.

A drone attack

In another development, a military source told the ‘South24 Center’ that the Southern forces confronted an AQAP drone that tried to target a site of the Shabwa Defense Forces in the Al-Masina’a area in the Al-Saieed district in Shabwa Governorate.

The source said that the drone was forced to retreat under heavy fire.

During 2024, AQAP carried out 21 attacks against the Southern forces in Abyan and Shabwa, according to the comprehensive annual report of the ‘South24 Center’. These attacks resulted in the death of 48 soldiers and injury of 63 others.