An attack on Saudi-backed forces in Yemen has resulted in in the deaths of 16 pro-Yemeni soldiers and injured 18 near a military post the southern province of Abyan.
A suicide bomber drove a booby-trapped vehicle armed with an IED into a security checkpoint manned by the local security forces on Friday.
Yesterday, a suicide car bomb by AQAP struck the Security Belt Forces' 3rd Brigade in Mudiyah, Abyan, resulting in at least a dozen soldiers killed and dozens wounded. This attack underscores a clear alliance between AQAP and the Houthis, as both, along with other opposing… pic.twitter.com/G1jxciVyPQ
— AlKhadher Sulaiman الخضر السليماني السعدي (@AlkhadherAlsadi) August 17, 2024
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Al-Jazeera.
Established in 2009 after the merger of Yemeni and Saudi Al-Qaeda alliances, the group has expanded due to ongoing conflict in the region. The organization has the backing of Iran and numerous other terrorist proxies.
AQAP’s primary targets in the south of Yemen are the government supported Southern Transition Council (STC) forces, also supported by the United Arab Emirates.
Photos of Ghanem Al Abi, the suicide bomber responsible for using a VBIED to kill 12 soldiers in Mudiyah, Abyan.
— Basha باشا (@BashaReport) August 17, 2024
I’ve just completed a book chapter in Arabic that forecasts the scenarios for #AQAP/#Alqaeda and violent extremist organizations (VEOs) in a post-war #Yemen pic.twitter.com/OS84x12h3L
AQAP has found a home in Yemen due to the ongoing civil war in the country between the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed coalition forces.
A ceasefire was agreed upon in the spring of 2022 (expired in October of the same year) but conflict has been mostly paused following somewhat successful negotiations that might lead to a lasting peace.
An increase in small scale AQAP attacks in Yemen are adding to concerns that ending violence in the country is not possible even if the large-scale war has subsided.
Houthi rebels, who claim to be the official military of Yemen, continue to target shipping routes in the Red Sea to pressure Israel and its Western allies to end their engagements in Gaza and elsewhere in the region.
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