Shabwa (South24)

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Today, two soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in an armed attack against the Southern forces in Shabwa governorate.

According to the "South24" correspondent in Shabwa, armed men suspected of affiliating with AQAP attacked a military vehicle of the Shabwa Defense Forces in Markha district, northwest of the governorate.

The attack comes less than a week after the assassination of the senior commander in the Shabwa Defense Forces, Captain Abu Bakr Salem Al-Dawli, and one of his companions, in Nisab district.

On August 28, AQAP released an audio statement about the recent events in Shabwa, denouncing the expulsion of the pro-Islah forces from the governorate.

The extremist organization also attacked the Presidential Council, the STC, Arab Coalition, the Southern forces, and the Southern Giants Brigades, which liberated large parts of Shabwa from the Houthis early this year.

Related: AQAP Warns of the «Secession» of South Yemen

These events coincide with the "Eastern Arrows" military operation which was launched by the Southern forces in Abyan governorate two weeks ago. The operation targeted AQAP and other extremist organizations in the central regions of Abyan governorate.