Yemeni military sources reported today, Monday, that 17 soldiers from the government forces were killed and injured after their military vehicle was targeted by an improvised explosive device in the Mudia district, east of Abyan province in the south of the country.
The sources confirmed the death of six and the injury of 11 others from soldiers of the Third Brigade of Support and Support affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, which has been leading a military campaign for over a year to pursue elements of the Ansar al-Sharia group, the local wing of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.
A statement issued by the Third Brigade stated that an improvised explosive device targeted the soldiers while performing their duties in pursuit of the remnants of terrorist elements, within the “East Arrows” operation, at the Al-Qawz junction east of Mudia district in Abyan province.
The statement pledged that these “cowardly” terrorist acts will not deter them from continuing the East Arrows operation to eradicate terrorism.
The confrontations between government forces and terrorist elements have so far resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries, including senior leaders, the most prominent of whom was the commander of the Security Belt in Abyan province, Abdul Latif Al-Sayyed, who was killed in a terrorist explosion targeting his convoy in the Mudia district on August 10 last year.
Since government forces, with air support from the Saudi-led coalition, succeeded in driving Al-Qaeda fighters from their main strongholds in the districts of Jaar and Zinjibar in 2015, the organization’s elements have resorted to fortifying themselves in remote mountainous areas on the borders with the provinces of Shabwa and Al-Bayda.
The internal security situation in Yemen has been deeply impacted by the ongoing civil war, which began in 2014 when Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sana’a, leading to the displacement of the Yemeni government and triggering a military intervention by a Saudi-led coalition. This conflict has resulted in a protracted humanitarian crisis, characterized by widespread displacement, food and medical shortages, and repeated cholera outbreaks.
Moreover, the political instability within the country is exacerbated by fragile relations among factions that form the Yemeni government’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). Some members of the PLC have called for the formation of a separate state in southern Yemen, adding another layer of complexity to the peace efforts. These internal divisions hinder the development of a unified approach to address the country’s challenges. Additionally, the ongoing military actions and threats have led to a sense of instability and unpredictability in daily life for many Yemenis. Regular clashes, aerial bombings, and a general lack of governance have left large parts of the population without basic services and protection.
