Aden (South24) 

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On Saturday, the Southern Forces announced that seven soldiers had been killed or wounded in a terrorist ambush carried out by members of AQAP in the Mudiyah district of Abyan Governorate, northeast of the capital, Aden.

The Deraa Aljanoob (South Shield) website quoted an operational source within the Arrows of the East campaign as saying that AQAP fighters ambushed Southern forces patrolling the Surat Al-Mashayikh area, west of the Wadi Oemran valley, in the Mudiyah district.

According to the source, the attack resulted in the deaths of three Southern soldiers and the injury of four more. 

The source said, "During the clash, the soldiers who were on board the patrol were able to kill and wound terrorist elements."

The attack came in light of sweeping campaigns carried out by the Southern Forces to pursue AQAP fighters in the highlands and rugged mountain ranges east of the Mudiyah district, according to Deraa Aljanoob.

The source said that the movements of AQAP members were monitored in Mudiyah's harsh mountainous terrain as well as in Al-Bayda Governorate, which is controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis.

This is the second attack on Southern forces by AQAP since Saad bin Atef Al-Awlaki, also known as ‘Abu Al-Laith’, was announced as the new leader of the extremist organization, succeeding Khaled Batarfi, or ‘Abu Al-Miqdad’, on March 10.

Related: The New AQAP Leader: The Choice of Necessity

On March 24, Southern forces thwarted an AQAP attack in Mudiyah, Abyan. A number of AQAP fighters were killed during the clashes along with two Southern soldiers, according to Deraa Aljanoob.

#BREAKING

AQAP terrorist organization claimed two attacks with an ambush and an explosive bike against the Southern forces in Al-Kasara area in Abyan last Sunday and Monday#south24 https://t.co/ByJvV9LKxb pic.twitter.com/1dVECJwbJS

— South24 | English (@South24E) March 31, 2024