Aden (South24 Center)

Southern forces continued military operations against the AQAP in Abyan governorate on Saturday (September 6) for the third consecutive day, conducting extensive attacks on the outfit’s positions in the Matar and Rafdh valleys east of Mudiyah district. The forces were able to successfully establish control over the strategic high ground previously used by the militants to launch attacks.

The attacks were part of the "Arrows of the East" campaign aimed at securing the entire geography of the governorate from the extremist groups.

The AQAP elements suffered human losses before fleeing toward the mountains separating Abyan and Al-Bayda governorates. The operation was conducted with the support of heavy artillery and drone aircraft, the forces said.

Southern forces had on Friday (September 5) announced the death of one soldier and injury to five others during clashes with the organization east of Mudiyah.

Further north in Al-Dhale, a Southern soldier was killed on Saturday in artillery shelling by the Houthi group targeting military positions on the Batar front.

Military and medical sources confirmed to South24 Center that fighting fronts with the Houthis had witnessed significant escalation during the past week, with four Southern soldiers killed and eight others wounded in clashes on the Al-Fakher front on Tuesday (Sep 2), while three Houthi fighters were killed.

Two Houthi elements were also killed in a failed infiltration attempt on the Batar front, while two Southern soldiers were wounded in Houthi sniper fire on the Had front in Yafa. On the Markha Al-Ulya front in Shabwa, a Giants Brigade soldier was killed in an improvised explosive device blast, planted by the militia.

Sources told ‘South24’ that five Houthis were killed, and several were wounded during these confrontations, reflecting the intensity of fighting between the two sides. 

In Northern Yemen's Taiz governorate, government-aligned forces announced on Saturday they had repelled Houthi infiltration attempts on the Al-Kuraifaat front, and confirmed the death of four militia in the Karm and Al-Sawda positions.

On the leadership level, Presidential Leadership Council member and Southern Giants Brigades commander Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami met with Yemeni Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daeri in Aden on Saturday to discuss military developments and training plans.

According to official media, Al-Daeri briefed Al-Mahrami on the combat readiness of troops across the confrontation fronts with the Houthis.