5 Yemen soldiers killed in Al-Qaeda attack on Abyan

At least five Yemeni soldiers were killed in armed clashes with Al-Qaeda militants yesterday in the southern province of Abyan. The slain were said to be fighters loyal to the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC), according to spokesman Mohammed Al-Naqib.

In a statement, Al-Naqib said the dawn attack took place in Wadi Omran in Abyan province and targeted Southern Armed Forces who were "tasked with confronting Al-Qaeda" in the region. The spokesman said "five troops were killed and four others were wounded" in the attack that involved heavy fire from artillery, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

"The terrorist elements retreated to their hiding places after failing to seize control of the area," he added.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as it is known, has stepped up attacks against the UAE-backed STC in recent months having regrouped in its southern strongholds after failing to expand in the Houthi-dominated north. In his statement, Al-Naqib insisted that "Al-Qaeda is desperate to drain our forces after they lost their strongholds."

A report in April by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) noted that "Most of its interactions now involve STC forces, and interactions between AQAP and Houthi forces have essentially stopped."

Last month, Al-Qaeda carried out a series of operations in the Shabwa and Abyan provinces, causing several losses and injuries among the Southern Forces and Shabwani Defense Force. According to Al-Ain News, the first half of this year witnessed more than 38 terrorist operations by AQAP, resulting in approximately 100 fatalities and injuries, including high-ranking officers and prominent field commanders of the Southern Forces.