Shabwa (South24) 

On Friday, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) issued an audio statement regarding the recent events in Shabwa governorate in South Yemen.

The statement, published by Al-Malahim media platform, attacked the Saudi-led Coalition, the Yemeni Presidential Council, the STC and its Southern forces.

The extremist organization described the Coalition as a "coalition of evil, conspiracy and sedition." They stated that it "carries hostility to Yemen and the Islamic nation and enables the Zionists from Muslim countries."

The statement, which came in the voice of the organization's nickname "Abu Ali al-Hadrami," attacked the relationship between the Coalition and the Southern forces, describing the latter as "mercenaries."

The statement said the Coalition had weakened the government of former Yemeni President Hadi and replaced it with a "weaker legitimacy" in favor of the STC.

The statement elaborated on the role of the Coalition in controlling the Southern Belt Forces and Elite Forces over Aden and Mukalla and clashing against AQAP.

They claimed that the Coalition supports the efforts of what he described as a "project of secession and division of Yemen into North and South." They said that what happened in Shabwa is "linked to what they described as" the Aden project within the partition project."

AQAP said that this comes with the blessing of the Presidential Council, which he described as "hostages." They further accused the UAE of carrying out more than 30 raids against pro-Islah forces in Shabwa.

The organization considered that what happened in Shabwa is part of a "plan to overthrow the remaining areas in Hadramout, Al-Mahra, Abyan and Marib in the hands of the UAE's followers and extract them from the influence of the Islah movement."

They also addressed the Islah youth to adhere to the slogan "Islam is the solution" and incited them to continue the fighting, and attacked the Southern Giants Forces, which he said "attributed" themselves to "Salafism" and accused them of subordination to the UAE.

The statement called on those it described as "scholars of South" and "sheikhs" to hold themselves accountable.

The statement comes days after the launch of the "Eastern Arrows" operation in Abyan governorate, the adjacent to Shabwa, and the deployment of Southern forces in a number of central areas in the governorate.

Ataq, the capital of Shabwa, witnessed violent battles between the Southern forces led by the local authority and pro-Islah forces, which led to the expulsion of the party's forces from the governorate.