Aden (South24)

Two soldiers from the National Security Forces were killed and others injured early Tuesday, July 14, in an armed attack attributed to Al-Qaeda (AQAP) targeting the National Security headquarters in Lawdar District, Abyan Governorate, South Yemen.

Press sources said that gunmen riding motorcycles attacked the National Security headquarters, formerly known as the Security Belt headquarters, using hand grenades and medium machine guns, triggering fierce clashes with the force assigned to guard the facility.

The sources added that the National Security Forces forced the attackers to flee to an unknown location following clashes that erupted after the surprise assault. Security forces subsequently reinforced their deployment across Lawdar, imposed a security cordon, and launched a manhunt for the assailants.

In a statement, the Abyan Governorate Security Department mourned two members of the National Security Forces who were killed in the attack, identifying them as Ahmed Qassem Al-Jaari and Moataz Ali Abdulrab Al-Jaadani.

The Security Department said the attack was carried out by Al-Qaeda elements against the force stationed at the National Security headquarters in Lawdar, using hand grenades and machine guns.

The attack has once again brought Lawdar District to the forefront of security threats in Abyan, one of the Southern governorates that has witnessed intermittent Al-Qaeda operations over recent years.

Abyan remains one of the main battlegrounds in the confrontation with Al-Qaeda in Yemen. In recent years, southern forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council have conducted repeated security campaigns targeting the group’s cells and positions, particularly in Mudiyah, Al-Mahfad, and Lawdar districts. However, hit-and-run attacks and ambushes continue to demonstrate the group’s ability to operate in some rugged areas, particularly amid a decline in counterterrorism efforts in the region.