Abyan (South24)

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Earlier today, the Southern Armed Forces shot down a drone belonging to the extremist organization AQAP in the Wadi Oemran area of Abyan Governorate, east of the capital Aden.

The official website of the Southern Armed Forces, Deraa Aljanoob, released a statement reporting that the drone had been downed at the same time an attack was carried out by "terrorist elements" in Wadi Oemran.

According to their statement, the attackers used sniper weapons to carry out the attack, which were countered by units of the Third Backup and Support Brigade.

"In conjunction with the attack, a drone belonging to the terrorist enemy flew over the airspace of the brigade's forces' positions, and fired a projectile that did not result in any injuries to our forces, before it was shot down," the statement added.

#BREKING

Southern forces announced the interception of a drone in Wadi Oemran in #Abyan likely belonging to AQAP #south24 pic.twitter.com/Y6AjBOuAiP

— South24 | English (@South24E) August 5, 2024

In an exclusive statement to South24 Center, the official spokesman for the Southern forces, Captain Mohammed Al-Naqeeb, accused the Houthi militia of supplying AQAP with drones.

He said, "The Houthi militia supplies AQAP with unmanned combat aerial vehicles and unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicles. They work together to target our forces in Abyan and Shabwa."

Since May 2023, AQAP has frequently used drones to target Southern forces in the Al-Musaniah area of Al-Saeeid district in Shabwa Governorate.

However, in the last two months, AQAP has also begun using drones in Abyan Governorate.

The Southern forces managed to expel the organization from its main strongholds in the central regions of Abyan during Operation Arrows of the East, launched in September 2022.

Related: Southern Forces: Abyan's «Arrows of the East» Operation is Completed 

Currently, AQAP elements are spread across the rugged mountain ranges on the borders between Abyan and Shabwa, and Abyan and Al-Baydah.

The Houthis took full control of Al-Baydah Governorate in North Yemen in 2021. The governorate has been a major stronghold for AQAP and ISIS for years.