Abyan (South24)

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Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) acknowledged today that two of its members were killed by Southern Transitional Council (STC)-affiliated Southern forces in Mudiyah, Abyan, on Sunday.

In a statement released by AQAP’s media outlet, Al-Malahem, the group confirmed that the two members were killed during an operation by Southern forces after they had entered a vehicle.

The statement claimed that the two AQAP members had no intention of engaging in a firefight, but they opened fire and killed a commander in the Security Belt Forces, Hussein Al-Rabih.

On Monday, the Southern Armed Forces announced they had killed senior AQAP leader, Shaker Saleh Shatra, and another member, Farouk Khamis Lashaab, during a security operation in the Mudiyah district of Abyan Governorate.

Related: Southern forces announce killing of AQAP leader in Abyan 

According to the Southern forces statement, the operation was carried out after the two members were tracked by reconnaissance drones, leading them into an ambush set by the Security Belt Forces in the Al-Qawz area.

Yesterday, the Southern Armed Forces' spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Al-Naqeeb, informed South24 Center that Southern forces had thwarted an AQAP attack in Mudiyah.

Al-Naqeeb stated that AQAP launched the "failed" attack in retaliation for the losses they suffered.

On August 16, 16 Southern forces soldiers were killed, and 18 others were injured in a suicide car bomb attack by AQAP in Mudiyah, Abyan.

Related: Widespread condemnation of the terrorist attack on the Southern forces in Abyan 

The terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which was widely condemned by the United States, the United Kingdom, and local parties. AQAP identified the perpetrator as Abu Ghanem Al-Ibi, from Ibb Governorate.