Yemen: US-backed Yemeni troops push AQAP out of Shabwa province

Event

Yemeni troops pushed Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants out of the major cities of Shabwa province on Friday, August 4, reclaiming control of the province for the coalition-backed government for the first time in years. Local residents reported that AQAP fighters retreated to the mountains of Shabwa province without a fight as Yemeni government and Hadrami Elite forces (from Hadramout province) advanced into Ataq, the provincial capital, and other towns starting Thursday, August 3. In a separate incident, three women and six children were killed in a Saudi airstrike that hit their home in the city of Sa’dah in northern Yemen.

Context

The operation by Yemeni and Hadrami Elite forces, backed by the US and UAE, represented one of the few large-scale ground operations carried out by regional troops against AQAP since 2015 – when the militant group was expelled from Mukalla.

Since Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January, US attacks on suspected terrorists have intensified in Yemen due to fears that AQAP will reassert its influence in the midst of a chaotic civil war. Yemen has been engaged in a complex and deadly conflict since Houthi rebels started fighting the international coalition-backed government in 2015. Approximately 10,000 Yemenis have died in the fighting and over 2.5 million have been displaced. The war has also sparked a cholera outbreak, which has affected approximately 385,000 people.

Advice

The security situation in Yemen is highly unstable and travel to the country should only be considered with proper security protocols in place.