Two weeks after the death of the Al-Qaeda branch's leader in Yemen, the terrorist group launched an attack on southern soldiers in Abyan province late Sunday, killing two and wounding others.
Forces affiliated with the southern separatists said the Al-Qaeda attack occurred in the mountainous Wadi Omran area of Abyan.
A statement by the so-called Southern Armed Forces indicated that Al-Qaeda militants ambushed a security patrol in the area, triggering hourslong gunbattles. The militants burned a military vehicle. The terrorist group also claimed responsibility for the attack.
The southern forces' statement identified the two killed soldiers as Abdulaziz Saleh Haidara Al-Mahouri and Ali Saleh Ali Al-Mahouri. According to the statement, a number of Al-Qaeda operatives were killed in the clash.
Al-Qaeda operatives have a considerable presence in rural areas of Abyan and Shabwah of South Yemen, capitalizing on the rugged topography of the mountainous regions.
On March 10, the Al-Qaeda group in Yemen announced the death of its leader Khalid al-Batarfi. The group released a video showing al-Batarfi wrapped in a white funeral shroud and al-Qaida's black-and-white flag.
The militant group said in the video, "Allah took his soul while he patiently sought his reward and stood firm, immigrated, garrisoned, and waged jihad for His sake." It provided no details on the cause of his death.
The United Arab Emirates backs the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which controls much of Yemen's south. The STC is at odds with the internationally recognized government, which has created a conducive climate for the movement and the armament of Al-Qaeda operatives in South Yemen.
In September last year, a report by Sheba Intelligence revealed that Al-Qaeda's capabilities had kept growing. The report said Al-Qaeda in South Yemen had built up its military power in an unprecedented manner and began using drones for the first time.
The report documented eight drone attacks launched by Al-Qaeda in the Al-Musaina District of Shabwa province in May, June, and July 2023.
Sheba Intelligence warned that Al-Qaeda's use of drones has become a threat to the national security of the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula, as the group has changed strategy and transferred its activities to the southern provinces instead of attacking the "Ansar Allah" Houthi movement in Al-Bayda.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's total forces are between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members, according to UN estimates. The group raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies, and ransom operations, according to reports.
In February this year, Brigadier General Mohsen Mohammed Al-Dhaheri, the Yemeni Minister of Defense, said during a meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen and the U.S. Military Attaché, the Yemeni government needs support to combat and eliminate terrorist groups, including "the Houthis, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS".
