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On Wednesday, suspected al-Qaeda forces simultaneously struck at two army positions in South Yemen, with the subsequent clashes resulting in the deaths of 13 insurgents, 9 army soldiers and an aide to the Defense Minister. Only five days ago, Defense Minister Mohamed Nasser Ahmad and two other security officers barely escaped an ambush as they were returning from the south.
According to sources, one of the ten army soldiers killed was General Mohsen Saeed al-Ghazali, an aide to Defense Minister Mohamed Nasser Ahmad. The Yemeni Air Force was also involved in the battle, bombing several al-Qaeda vehicles which were trying to advance to Azzan. The army has for been, for the past two weeks, on a campaign to clear the south of all al-Qaeda elements. The army had regained control of Azzan last Thursday. The situation is now reportedly under control.
The strikes against the army targeted their positions in Jul al-Rida and Azzan. Army troops have successfully repelled the attacks, suspected to have been perpetrated by the al-Qaeda. Residents of Azzan said that several homes and cars had been damages in the crossfire, and that many of the families were fleeing the city because of the violence.
The Yemeni army says that since it launched its offensive on April 29th, it has caused major losses for the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Since the army recaptured Azzan, authorities have put security forces in the capital city Sana’a on high alert, anticipating revenge attacks. The United States also shut down its embassy in the city.
The Interior Ministry earlier in the week said that checkpoints were set up in and around the provinces of Ibb, Baida, Sana’a, Marib and Lahij to stop militants fleeing from the provinces Abyan and Shabwa in the south. The air force on Tuesday killed five suspected al-Qaeda members in a raid on convoys carrying ammunition and weapons. On Monday, a drone strike in Marib killed six al-Qaeda suspects.
