Military officials called the campaign a 'standard routine operation' Sanaa – Ali Rabea Yemeni army forces have conducted a campaign against al-Qaeda strongholds in al-Mahfad, Abyan province in southern Yemen, clashing with militants and forcing them to retreat, according to military sources. An army unit from the 111st Brigade, currently stationed in Abyan, led the attack, which was also supported by pro-government tribal militias. Sources told Arabstoday the unit advanced towards Wadi Daykah following violent clashes lasting 12 hours with al-Qaeda elements.
The latest fighting between Yemeni government forces and jihadi forces in the country’s provinces has enabled the army, supported by Popular Committee [PC] militias, to maintain areas in Wadi Daykah, al-Bashim, Hulwa and Wadi Daiyan. Al-Qaeda forces, estimated by military sources at approximately200, retreated into Wadi al-Khayala and Wadi Ameer, both in Abyan province.
Army or al-Qaeda casualties have not been released by official sources. Yemen’s Defence Ministry reported the clashes on its website, quoting a military official as saying: "The heroes of the al-Mahfad units, Popular Committees and other citizens were able to force armed al-Qaeda terrorists to flee from the sites they had been based along on both sides of the main road in al-Mahfad."
The official also reported the attack as a "standard routine operation against terrorist elements." Government forces would pursue al-Qaeda in order to arrest militants, the Ministry said.
Dozens of al-Qaeda fighters have been arriving in al-Mahfad area in recent months, exploiting the mountainous local terrain for shelter from US drone strikes. The group’s cover was reportedly blown late last year after a large-scale Yemeni army campaign targeted areas where al-Qaeda had embedded with local tribes.
A Yemeni counter-terrorism court meanwhile convicted five al-Qaeda members on Sunday, giving them sentences between four and 10 years. Defendants were charged with joining criminal gangs to target state infrastructure and military positions across Yemen.
The court sentenced Mohammed Abdullah Ali Moawada to 10 years, Bilal Mohammed Ali Saleh al-Hababi, Saddam Hussein Saleh al-Munadi and Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Jalil Ghaleb to six years each, and Shamsan Ahmed Hussein al-Herazi to four years.
The court, presided over by Judge Hilal Mahfal, also placed a number of al-Qaeda suspects under surveillance for one year, following suspected affiliations with the armed group.
Two men accused of bombing Yemen’s main oil export pipeline also appeared in court in Sanaa on Sunday. The case was adjourned until January 20 following an appeal by defendants.