Aden (South24 Center)

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The Southern Armed Forces on Sunday (September 28) reported major success in their campaign against the AQAP in the eastern part of Abyan governorate, forcing the terrorist elements to flee from their mountainous hideouts. The campaign also left three soldiers dead and one injured.

#BREAKING
Southern Armed Forces: We carried out a large-scale operation targeting #AQAP hideouts in Mudiyah, east of Abyan#south24 pic.twitter.com/RgcsSRGSWE

— South24 | English (@South24E) September 28, 2025

A statement issued by the Support and Reinforcement Brigades Command said that their units carried out direct assaults on suspected AQAP militant hideouts in Mudiyah district, forcing the terrorist elements to flee and leave behind explosives and communication devices.

The operation commander, Brigadier General Nasr Atif Al-Yafei, added that the forces are continuing their tracking and pursuit operations through the valleys that militant groups have used as shelters. He affirmed that the campaign would persist until the terrorism hotspots are completely eradicated.

The Southern Forces launched Operation "Arrows of the East" in August 2022 in Abyan governorate, aiming to flush out the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which had entrenched itself in the terrain of valleys and mountains, a fertile environment for establishing its camps.

The campaign came after a series of bloody AQAP attacks targeting security and military forces in South Yemen.

Since then, the operation has expanded through multiple phases, including the districts of Al-Wadea, Mudiyah, and Al-Mahfad. The Southern Forces have successfully regained control over strategic areas, destroyed militant camps and weapons storage facilities, and killed or arrested dozens of the organization's members.

The campaign is viewed as part of broader counter-terrorism efforts in South Yemen, as the local branch of AQAP is classified as one of the most dangerous branches of the Al-Qaeda globally.

Despite field successes, observers warn that lack of international support for the Southern Forces, coupled with the AQAP’s acquisition of weapons from the Houthis, including drones, provides the organization with opportunities to reposition and launch surprise attacks.