US report: Al-Qaeda's field defeats in Yemen appeared in the organization's propaganda

English - Tuesday 29 November 2022 الساعة 08:17 am
NewsYemen, translation:

An American study center concerned with Yemen said that the propaganda recording published by Al-Qaeda earlier this month was significantly different from the previous propaganda, referring to the series of defeats that the organization received in Abyan Governorate, in the south of the country.

The American Center for South Yemen Studies said, "Al-Qaeda appeared weak in the latest video," referring to a video recording published by the organization, in which the emir of Al-Qaeda in the governorates of Abyan and Shabwa, Munir Bagli Al-Ahdal, nicknamed "Abu Al-Hayja' Al-Hadidi" appeared, giving a "motivational" speech to a few.  of the militants before they launched an attack on the security belt forces.

He added: Instead of their (al-Qaeda) propaganda, in which they used to show strength, they appeared in this video in a weak position, as if they were in a defensive position, admitting that they had shifted their strategy from direct strikes to the use of explosives such as roadside bombs.

He believed that this shift represents an indication that they have been expelled from important areas in Abyan that they had previously occupied, and that they are no longer able to mobilize fighters for combat missions, such as the attack in Ahwar, which coincided with the start of Operation Arrows of the East.

The "Arms of the East" operation was launched into two axes. The first axis included the coastal directorates, most notably Khanfar and Ahwar, which includes the cities of Shuqra and Khobar Al-Maraqisheh, where the southern forces deployed in this axis purged most of the al-Qaeda strongholds in Moujan and Wadi Sirri.

As for the second axis, it included the central and northeastern districts of Abyan, which include Lawdar, Al-Wadi, Mudiyah, and Al-Mahfad.  The southern forces, which were armed and trained by the United Arab Emirates, cleared most al-Qaeda strongholds in this region, most notably Wadi Omran, which had been the group's largest stronghold in Abyan since 1994.

While traveling - the report says - along the coastal road from Shuqra to Ahwar, the deployment of the security belt forces was seen along the road, which is crowded with dozens of cars and trucks passing from the east to Aden and vice versa.  Passengers often stop at checkpoints to chat with the soldiers stationed there, and some travelers even get out of their cars to greet the soldiers posted along the way.

In the market city of Shuqra, where the road passes through the middle of the market, one can immediately recognize the scale of the achievements of the southern forces.  The market teems with shoppers and sellers.

The report says, before the security belt took control of Shuqra, terrorist elements used to move freely in the market, which caused fears among the local population.  Although al-Qaeda members avoided harming local civilians in Shaqra at that time to avoid reprisals and gain their trust, the locals felt threatened by their presence because, in the past when the group controlled an area, they would turn on civilians with force, intimidation, and harsh punishments, including  In that execution, everyone who breaks their rules.

Fatal blows to "Al Qaeda" in Yemen

 The American Center stressed that the southern forces played a decisive role in combating terrorism.  It has been active in and around Aden and throughout the south, dealing fatal blows to terrorist organizations such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda, particularly in the governorates of Lahj, Aden and Abyan, as well as the oil-rich Shabwa and Hadramout.

He added: After the victory achieved by the southern forces, represented by the expulsion of al-Qaeda members from Lahj in August 2016, the Security Belt forces then expelled the organization's militants from the city of Zanzibar, the capital of Abyan.

In April 2016, southern forces, represented by the Hadrami Elite Forces, succeeded in expelling al-Qaeda from Mukalla.  Since then, the Elite Forces have been securing the entire coastal area of Hadramout.

The forces loyal to the Transitional Council, represented by the Shabwani Elite Forces, also carried out a successful military operation in February 2018 called "The Sharp Sword" to cleanse the Upper Egypt region of al-Qaeda.

In February of 2018, the Hadrami Elite Forces launched a large-scale operation dubbed "Al-Faisal", which cleared the Al-Qaeda stronghold in Wadi Al-Musayni, west of Mukalla.

In March 2018, the Security Belt Forces launched a large-scale operation against al-Qaeda in the city of al-Mahfad, located in the eastern part of Abyan.  During which many of the organization's senior leaders were eliminated, including Abu Muhsin Basibreen, one of the most prominent al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen.

In March 2019, the elite forces in Shabwa governorate launched Operation "White Mountains" to clear the areas of Nissab, Markha, Khoura and Abadan.  After this operation, the Shabwani Elite Forces declared the oil-rich province free of al-Qaeda as the organization's fighters fled to the neighboring Yemeni provinces of Al-Bayda and Marib.

setback

The clashes that erupted in August 2019 between forces loyal to the Transitional Council in Aden and forces loyal to the Yemeni government led by the country's former president, Hadi, paved the way for the Islah militia, "the arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen," to take control of the oil-rich Shabwa governorate and large parts of Abyan governorate.

The fall of the two strategic southern governorates in the hands of Islah elements, who withdrew their forces from the governorates of Al-Bayda and Al-Jawf, revived the terrorist groups and provided them with safe passages to restore their previous positions in the two governorates that were cleared by the forces of the Transitional Council.

Three weeks ago, the southern forces made new progress in the fourth phase of Operation Arrows of the East, through which they were able to deploy in the Al-Mahfad district, east of Abyan.  It is the border district with Shabwa, which is characterized by its rugged terrain and complex tribal structure.

On Friday, corresponding to November 11, 2022, a battalion of the Security Belt forces stormed Wadi Al-Khayala in Al-Mahfad district to track down Ansar Al-Sharia members who fled from Wadi Amran in Mudiya and tried to establish themselves in the Wadi Al-Khayala mountain range.

A security officer in the Security Belt Forces told the American Center that his forces stormed Wadi al-Khayala early Friday morning and redeployed to multiple locations along the mountain range there.  He added, "Two of our brave soldiers were killed and four others were wounded by an explosive device planted by the organization on our way to impede the progress of our forces."

After the southern forces dealt fatal blows to their hideouts in Wadi Amran in Mudiyah, al-Qaeda terrorists fled to al-Mahfad, taking advantage of its rugged terrain, which provided them with hideouts and safe passages to the neighboring governorates of Shabwa and al-Bayda.

According to researcher Saeed Al-Awdhali from Abyan, "Al-Saeed and Habban areas in the neighboring Shabwa governorate provided al-Qaeda fighters with safe havens such as Wadi al-Khayala and Jabal Dayqah."

Expensive

 The southern forces have paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism since 2015, losing more than 50 of their soldiers dead and more than 120 wounded in the confrontation with terrorist elements in Abyan governorate since the launch of Operation "Arms of the East".  According to a prominent military commander, since the start of the military operation on August 23, 2022, the southern forces have killed 24 al-Qaeda fighters and arrested 12.