South Yemen freed from Al Qaida grip
Army liberates Abyan province, the last bastion of the terror group in that region
Yemen’s army battling Al Qaida in southern Yemen has liberated the entire province of Abyan from the terror group and Daesh-linked operatives after more than five years of lawlessness, army officials said yesterday.
“With the help of the coalition and the UAE Red Crescent we will focus on restoring peace and development to the liberated areas in Abyan,” Brigadier Nasser Al Anbori, the commander of Special Security Forces in Aden, Lahej and Abyan told Gulf News yesterday.
By seizing Abyan, Al Qaida has lost all of its bastions in south Yemen.
Meanwhile, on the political front, Yemen’s internationally-recognised government said on Saturday it welcomed a plan agreed by the United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations to restart peace talks with a goal of forming a unity government.
“We are prepared to deal positively with any peaceful solutions, including an initial welcoming of the ideas of the Jeddah meeting,” it said.
Al Houthis are yet to respond to the proposal, but in what was viewed as a tacit rejection of the plan, they continued missile attacks into Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
On Saturday, Yemen’s internationallyrecognised government said it welcomed a plan agreed by the United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations to restart peace talks with a goal of forming a unity government.
Yemen’s army battling Al Qaida in southern Yemen have liberated the entire province of Abyan from the militant group and Daesh-linked operatives after more than five years of lawlessness, army officials said yesterday. “We have completely cleared Abyan from Al Qaida,” Brigadier Nasser Al Anbori, the commander of Special Security Forces in Aden, Lahej and Abyan, told Gulf News.
Backed by heavy aerial support by the Saudi-led coalition, army troops recently launched a major offensive to oust the militants, who have long-exploited the continuing civil war to expand in the south, from Abyan.
The Al Qaida militants fled into Abyan’s rugged mountains while others fled to the Al Houthi-controlled Baydha province.
“With the help of the coalition and the UAE Red Crescent we will focus on restoring peace and development to the liberated regions in Abyan,” he said.
Loss of bastions
By seizing Abyan, Al Qaida militants have lost all of their bastions in south Yemen.
Meanwhile, Yemen government troops and allied tribesmen yesterday launched a fresh military offensive on Al Houthi positions in a strategic slope outside the capital, a Yemen army spokesperson told Gulf News.
Brigadier General Samer Al Haj said government forces are advancing on the Sana’a front despite the tough geography and thousands of landmines planted by the rebel forces.
Government forces heavily shelled Nagil Bani Ghaylan to pave the way for ground forces to advance.
“If we purge Al Houthis from Nagil Bani Ghaylan, all key locations in the capital would be within the range of army cannons,” Al Haj said.
Al Houthis have suffered heavy loses in the province of Sana’a.
Meanwhile, in Taiz, Al Haj said that Al Houthis and forces loyal to the ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh intensified attacks on army positions on the western side of the city.
“They are trying to recapture their previous locations in the western side of the city and hence reimpose their siege to the city,” he said.
On Saturday, Yemen’s internationally-recognised government said it welcomed a plan agreed by the United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations to restart peace talks with a goal of forming a unity government.
“We are prepared to deal positively with any peaceful solutions, including an initial welcoming of the ideas of the Jeddah meeting,” it said.
Al Houthis have yet to respond to the proposal, but in what was viewed as a tacit rejection continued its missile attacks into Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
Kerry’s call
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday Al Houthis must cease shelling across the border with Saudi Arabia, pull back from the capital Sana’a, cede their weapons and enter into a unity government with their domestic foes.