Aden (South24 Center)

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has escalated its attacks on Southern Armed Forces since the liberation of Wadi Hadramout in early December, through a series of coordinated operations involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs), drones, and mortar shells across the governorates of Hadramout, Shabwa, and Abyan.

In the latest attack, on December 10, the group targeted a Southern military position in the Musainah area of Al-Saeed district in Shabwa governorate, using mortar shells before launching a drone to disrupt defenses.

Military and local sources told South24 that the attack resulted in the death of two Southern soldiers, one at the scene and another who later died of his injuries. A third soldier was wounded.

A few days earlier, on December 6, two officers and two soldiers from the Southern Forces were killed when an IED planted by suspected AQAP operatives exploded on the Al-Khashaa–Al-Abr international road in northern Hadramout.

Southern Forces spokesperson Mohammed Al-Naqeeb told South24 that the elements expelled from Wadi Hadramout were behind the attack, referring to the First Military Region forces, which consist of northern soldiers.

In Abyan governorate, the group continued its escalation through two separate attacks in Wadi Omaran, Mudiyah district. On December 6, Southern forces repelled an attack targeting a position held by the 6th Support and Reinforcement Brigade, resulting in the injury of one soldier.

The following day, a Southern soldier was killed and another wounded while repelling a second attack on the same site, according to military sources who spoke to South24.

Read more: AQAP Escalates Threats as Southern Forces Advance in Hadramout

The successive attacks reflect a clear escalation pattern by AQAP since the launch of Operation “Promising Future” by Southern forces to secure the areas of Wadi Hadramout and Desert, as well as the neighboring Al-Mahra governorate. On December 3, Southern forces announced their control over Seiyun, the capital of Wadi Hadramout, and the expulsion of the First Military Region forces after years of local demands for their removal from the governorate.

The Southern operation extended into Al-Mahra, where Southern forces secured several strategic sites, including the Presidential Palace and the international airport in the city of Al-Ghaydah.