On 29 April 2014, the Yemeni government launched a military offensive in Abyan and Shabwah Governorates in areas perceived to be strongholds of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The primary targets of the offensive were the towns of al-Mahfad in al-Mahfad district, Abyan and Azzan in the neighbouring Mayfa'a district, Shabwah. The two towns, among other areas in the Abyan and Shabwah, were occupied by AQAP after they had lost control of the major cities of Abyan during the 2012 Southern Yemen offensive. The offensive was described as the largest military effort against AQAP by the Yemeni government since the previous offensive.
The operation was preceded by a series of United States airstrikes primarily targeting an AQAP training camp near al-Mahfad. The strikes killed 68 militants, including AQAP's local leader in al-Mahfad, Ali bin Likra al-Kazimy, who succumbed to his wounds later in May. Yemeni military forces along with Popular Committee tribesmen were divided into two fronts to focus on the two governorates. Several AQAP leaders died during the offensive, including multiple foreign commanders. On 6 May, Yemeni forces secured al-Mahfad after AQAP withdrew from the town in accordance to a deal with local tribal sheikhs. On 8 May, Azzan was captured by government forces, resulting in the fall of AQAP's last major stronghold in the south and the successful conclusion of the offensive. The offensive altogether killed 500 AQAP militants and 39. AQAP forces continued to wage attacks on Yemeni security forces in Abyan and Shabwah throughout the following months.AQAP forces regrouped in Hadhramaut Governorate in the aftermath of losing their traditional strongholds in Abyan and Shabwah. The Yemeni government planned another offensive for the region, though the Houthi advance in Amran and later in Sanaa forced its attention elsewhere. During the ensuing Yemeni civil war, AQAP recaptured many of the areas taken from them during the offensive.
Background
The Southern Yemen offensive in 2012 managed to force al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to withdraw from major cities in the region which they seized the year prior, including Abyan capital Zinjibar as well as Azzan in Shabwah. The offensive however did not reach al-Mahfad in western Abyan, where militants were able to reside and restock on supplies after promising the locals that they would provide them public services. AQAP then set up a major training camp on a mountain in the Wadi al-Khayyala enclave near the town. Azzan was reclaimed by militants in 2013 under the justification that they were stopping bandits from killing and robbing locals. They also provided public services in the area such as electricity, water, sanitation and trash collecting.
Prelude
US drone strikes From 19 April to late 21 April, the United States launched a barrage of drone strikes on AQAP targets in Abyan and Shabwah. On 19 April, a US airstrike in al-Bayda killed 10 suspected militants in a truck and injured another. Three civilians in a nearby vehicle were killed and five more wounded. A series of three airstrikes on the AQAP camp in Wadi al-Khayyala on 20 April killed 55 militants, including several foreign nationals and three local commanders. The camp was the same site of an AQAP video recorded in March showing a large gathering of militants, including AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi, which was described as "very provocative" by al-Mahfad tribal Sheikh Nasser al-Shamee. The Yemeni Interior Ministry stated that Yemeni MiG-29's took part in the several hours long air raids, though local witnesses described unmanned drones operated by the US. An airstrike later at midnight (9:00 p.m. GMT) killed three suspected militants in a vehicle in Shabwah. The Yemeni offensive launched later in the month was described as a follow-up to the air raids.
Preparation The Popular Committees announced on 27 April that the Yemeni military had stationed troops in al-Mahfad and Ahwar in preparation for an offensive. It was labeled a preemptive move based on reports indicating that AQAP was attempting to infiltrate Lawdar district in Abyan to try and capture it. Major General Mahmoud al-Subaihi, commander of Yemen's 4th Military Region which includes Abyan, arrived in Lawdar to lead the offensive, which was being overseen by Minister of Defense Mohammed Nasser Ahmed. It claimed that the 115th Infantry Brigade, the 111th Mechanized Brigade stationed in Ahwar, and the 2nd Mountain Infantry Brigade stationed in Balhaf would be participating in the offensive among other brigades.
Offensive The offensive began on 29 April. Yemeni soldiers and Popular Committee personnel were divided into two fronts; one focusing on al-Mahfad, Ahwar, Mudiyah and Lawdar districts in Abyan and the other focusing on Azzan and al-Huta in Mayfa'a district, along with Habban, al-Rawdah and as-Said districts, as well as the Mafraq al-Saeed region of Rudum district in Shabwah. More than 1,600 soldiers were reported to be participating across both fronts. Locals described "heavy military convoys backed by armored vehicles and tanks travelling toward the Mahfad region." AQAP forces ambushed a convoy of Yemeni soldiers outside of Azzan, killing 15 and taking 15 more hostage, while losing 12 militants. Three of the hostages were executed by the next day, while two were released after being beaten. AQAP gunmen ambushed a seven-vehicle army convoy advancing towards Wadi Daiqa in al-Mahfad, killing three soldiers and wounding seven. A local from Lawdar reported clashes between AQAP fighters and security forces, along with "armored vehicles and tanks spread out across the area and a considerable number of soldiers deployed in and around the city of Lawdar."
On 30 April, army shelling in the towns of al-Majalah and in al-Mahfad killed three AQAP militants and wounded 10 more. Yemeni forces made a "tactical withdrawal" from as-Said after discovering the bodies of the three soldiers taken hostage by AQAP the previous day. On 1 May, six AQAP members travelling in a three-vehicle convoy were killed by airstrikes in Azzan. The Yemeni military also reported the death of Uzbek AQAP commander Abu Muslim al-Uzbeki along with six other militants during a gunfight with advancing soldiers in al-Mahfad. AQAP fighters launched a surprise attack on al-Majalah behind front lines, though government forces later resecured the town, arresting several suspected militants, dismantling landmines and seizing AQAP vehicles.
On 2 May, Yemeni forces killed five AQAP fighters in Mayfa'a and destroyed three of their vehicles, one of which was mounted with anti-aircraft guns. The Yemeni army blocked the main road connecting Ataq, the capital of Shabwah, to Azzan and Habban. On 3 May, two soldiers were killed and four others wounded during clashes in Sanaj. Five militants were killed in the clashes, including Chechen AQAP commander Abu Islam al-Shishani. AQAP confirmed the death of Ali bin Likra al-Kazimy, its local commander in al-Mahfad, from the airstrikes on the Wadi al-Khayyala camp in April. Suspected militants wounded two soldiers at a central bank building in Shabwah after throwing hand grenades into it. AQAP released seven soldiers captured the previous day after tribal mediation efforts.
On 4 May, the Yemeni military killed 37 AQAP fighters in Jawl al-Raydah, Mayfa'a district. Locals reported "exceptionally" heavy artillery fire and air raids in the area targeting AQAP hideouts. Government sources claimed that the majority of militant casualties were Saudis, Afghans, Somalis and Chechens among other nationalities. Two AQAP members were killed and five more were captured in Mayfa'a as they attempted to travel to Ataq. Yemeni soldiers backed by air support raided an AQAP hideout in the Naqba hills of Shabwah, killing six militants, arresting four and destroying four of their vehicles, while suffering the loss of four soldiers. An AQAP suicide bomber attacked a military outport in Shabwah, killing six soldiers and injuring 20. Additional reinforcements were sent by the military to Ataq. On 5 May, a Yemeni soldier claimed that Major Gen. Mahmoud al-Subaihi gave militants in Abyan a 48-hour ultimatum to surrender their weapons or else the army would move in to seize the Wadi Daiqa.
On 6 May, Yemeni forces along with Popular Committee tribesmen captured the town of al-Mahfad and set up checkpoints along its main road after AQAP had blown up the local government compound and fled to the nearby mountains. Local residents described the army using heavy artillery to push into the town, while Popular Committee commander Amin Qassem reported stiff resistance during the battle. The Yemeni Ministry of Defense reported the seizure of seven suicide belts, 10 explosive devices and nearly 3,000 rounds of ammunition from the district. An Abyan official stated that AQAP had withdrawn from al-Mahfad after two days of negotiations with the Bakazim tribe and the local government. The militants were given until 7 May to withdraw from the town, though they did so one day early. Local tribal leader Sheikh Nasser al-Shamee described seeing 60 to 70 cars of AQAP militants as well as their families withdrawing from the area overnight.
The Yemeni government seized AQAP hideouts in Habban district and the village of Qarn al-Sawad in as-Said district, Shabwah. Government media reported that a military engineering team defused a minefield set by AQAP in as-Said district. The Yemeni army killed three wanted AQAP figures; a militant nicknamed "Picasso" who was known for killing and mutilating police informants, and siblings Nasser Atef al-Makni and Ahmed Atef al-Makni. Tribes in Mayfa'a district signed an agreement with AQAP which would halt the offensive for one week. The militants would be allowed to leave the area and in return they would allow the military to use the main road in the district without being attacked. The deal required the Yemeni military to not pursue AQAP militants from the governorate and "preserve private property and public peace." It would also see local tribesmen assisting security forces in the district while the militants turn in their heavy weapons and foreign fighters.
On 7 May, Yemeni forces entered Jawl al-Raydah in Mayfa'a district, according to a local journalist, and the Wadi Daiqa in al-Mahfad district, according to the Saba News Agency. Clashes in the Wadi Daiqa killed three AQAP foreign fighters; Algerian commander Abu Ayub al-Jazairi, Pakistani commander Nakhii, also known as Mikassa, and a Saudi identified as Abu Dojana. The military claimed that it had killed Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki, AQAP's regional commander in Shabwah, though this would later be proven false. On 8 May, the Yemeni government announced that it had captured all of Azzan, the last stronghold held by AQAP in the south. The 21st Mechanized Brigade entered the town from the western axis while the 2nd Naval Infantry and 2nd Mountain Infantry Brigades entered from the eastern axis. There were no reports of casualties during the operation. Popular Committee fighters assisted in clearing the area and occupying the main road in the district. Soldiers seized CDs and other documents containing AQAP plans for attacks in various Yemeni governorates. Many militants fled to the nearby al-Kur mountains, with Yemeni soldiers engaging in sporadic clashes with them throughout the day. The militants reportedly withdrew from Azzan in line with the agreement negotiated with the tribes and the military, according to a Shabwah official. After the seizure, the Yemeni military announced the successful conclusion of the offensive, claiming that several areas including al-Mahfad and Mudiyah districts in Abyan and Azzan, Mayfa'a and Habban districts in Shabwah were cleared of militants.
Continued clashes
May