The Yemeni government claims to have driven Al-Qaeda out of a major bastion in the country’s southern region after a fierce struggle in which 32 soldiers and at least 24 militants lost their lives.
According to Mohammed Al-Naqeeb, a spokesman for the pro-independence Southern Transitional Council, which leads the military operations, the third phase of an offensive dubbed as “Eastern Arrows” concluded when their forces grabbed control of Omaran valley in Abyan province.
He said that 32 soldiers were killed and 42 were injured as a result of roadside explosives, booby traps, and counterattacks by Al-Qaeda.
During the fighting and bombing in the rugged mountains of Abyan, 24 militants were killed.
It was reported by Al-Naqeeb that STC forces had discovered landmines and homemade explosives in raided Al-Qaeda strongholds and were preparing to target the organization’s final remaining hideouts near the town of Al-Mahfad.
It has been reported that Al-Naqeeb claimed that “Al-Qaeda has taken significant hits and lost one of its key strongholds in Omaran.” Because of our well-trained and equipped forces, we can sweep out entire southern regions. Terrorism is an issue we’ve been dealing with for the past eight years. The military has improved in its ability to counter Al-Qaeda.
The Yemeni military and security forces have been working since the beginning of the month to drive Al-Qaeda out of Abyan and the neighbouring Shabwa, from which the terrorist group had been launching attacks on Yemeni cities.
Military officials in Yemen claim that Al-Qaeda kept weapons and hostages in caves in Omaran and the adjacent valleys that connect the two provinces with a third, Al-Bayda.
Former strongholds of the gang include Al-Mousinah in Shabwa and Al-Wadhae, the mountainous Khaber Al-Marakesha region, Lawder, and Moudia.
Some Al-Qaeda fighters, according to Al-Naqeeb, escaped to Wadi Hadramout, while others went to Al-Bayda and Markha in Shabwa, all of which are under Houthi control.
Southern Yemen has been a breeding ground for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the most dangerous branch of the organisation worldwide, for the past seven years due to conflict between various anti-Houthi military factions.
Two years ago, the STC and several of its adversaries agreed to a ceasefire in order to work together to tackle the threat.
