2012 Abyan offensive
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The 2012 Abyan offensive was an offensive by the Yemeni military against Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in the province of Abyan with the purpose of re-capturing the militant-held towns of Zinjibar and Jaʿār.
| 2012 Abyan offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Yemeni Crisis (2011-present) | |||||||
Map of Yemen showing Abyan Governorate. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula[2]
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Abu Hamza al-Zinjibari |
Abdullatif Al-Sayed Gen. Salem Ali Qatan †[4] Brig. Gen. Muhammad Nasir Ahmad Ali Saleh al-Ahmar | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2,000 fighters (Zinjibar)[5] |
Thousands of troops, backed by tanks and fighter jets Local tribal militias[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 429 militants killed[6] | 78 soldiers, 26 tribal fighters killed[6] | ||||||
| 34 civilians killed[6] | |||||||
On 12 May, the military started the offensive in an attempt to recapture all areas of Abyan out of their control. Over a month of fighting, 567 people were reportedly killed, including 429 Islamist fighters, 78 soldiers, 26 tribal fighters and 34 civilians.[6] On 12 June the Yemeni army succeeded in retaking Zinjibar and Jaar, pushing the militants away after heavy clashes in and around both towns. The city of Shuqrah fell on 15 June, and militants retreated towards neighboring Shabwah Governorate.[7]
Background
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The Yemeni revolution caused widespread unrest across Yemen as protestors demanded the resignation of longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Yemeni Armed Forces were split between those who remained loyal to Saleh and cracked down on the uprising, and those who backed the protestors and joined the opposition.[8] The government redeployed most Saleh-loyalist security forces across the country, including in southern Yemen, to more populated urban areas including the capital of Sanaa in order to maintain control.[9][10]
AQAP's traditional strongholds are positioned in southeastern Yemen.[11] Abyan Governorate and other areas of southern Yemen have long been sources of Islamic extremism since many locals fought alongside the Afghan mujahideen before the area became a common training ground for militants on their way to participate in the Iraqi or Somali insurgencies. Prior to the revolution, AQAP had never attempted to control and administer large population centres, insteading remaining in remote, mountainous areas in the south. However, divisions in the military and the government's preoccupation with maintaining control in urban centres created a security gap which it exploited.[12][9]
On 27 March 2011, militants from the group seized Jaʽār and its surrounding areas as army units fled their posts.[13] Later in April, AQAP announced the creation of Ansar al-Sharia, a local rebrand which would attract people in areas under their control through its work and ideology.[14][15] On 27 May, amid fighting between security forces and pro-opposition tribesmen in Sanaa, AAS invaded and seized Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan Governorate, after the army and other security forces abandoned the city.[11] An offensive launched by the army and allied tribesmen in July eventually culminated in the "liberation" of the city in September according to officials, though only the northern and eastern parts were under government control.[16] A stalemate proceeded into the end of the year.[17] Separately, militants also seized the town of Shuqrah in August,[18] as well as Azzan in neighbouring Shabwah Governorate in June[19][20] and al-Rawdah in September.[21]
Saleh was accused by the opposition of letting Abyan be overran by militants in order to increase his importance to the counterterrorism-focused United States and save his regime.[11][8] His attempts would fail as he was forced to resign and ceed power to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in February 2012.[8] In response to his inauguration, the militants launched a string of attacks culminating in an assault on army installations in the towns of Dofas and al-Kawd on 4 March, killing 185 soldiers.[14][22] On 9 April, AAS launched an attack on the strategic town of Lawdar, instigating an intense battle for it.[23]
Prelude
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On 5 May, in his first public speech since his inauguration, President Hadi promised a new offensive against the militants, stating:
"The real battle against the terrorist al-Qaeda organization has yet to begin and will not end until we have eradicated their presence in every district, village and position; it will not end until internally displaced citizens are assured that they can return safely to their homes and organized terrorist operatives have surrendered their weapons and rid themselves of ideologies that contradict the sacred values of the Islamic religion."[24]
On 8 May, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the US had "begun to reintroduce small numbers of trainers into Yemen."[25] The first soldiers reportedly arrived on 11 May.[26]
On 9 May, Defense Minister Mohammad Nasser Ahmed visited a number of military installations across the south to review combat readiness before the offensive. During his visit, he met with 201st Mechanized Brigade commander Gen. Mahmoud al-Subaihi and 119th Infantry Brigade commander Gen. Faisal Rajab before giving a speech to the soldiers.[27] He also visited the Southern Military Region commander Gen. Salem Ali Qatan at Badr Air-force Camp in Aden alongside Governor Waheed Ali Rashid.[28]
Early advances
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The offensive began on 12 May with the participation of 25,000 soldiers from eight military brigades. The 25th Mechanized Brigade, stationed in Zinjibar's outskirts, the 201st Mechanized Brigade, the 119th Infantry Brigade, the 31st Armored Mechanized Brigade, the 115th Infantry Brigade, and the 39th Armored Brigades from the Southern Military Region were the first to advance, while the 135th Infantry Brigade, part of the First Armored Division in Sanaa, and the 111th Infantry Brigade stationed in Lawdar joined later.[29] The Yemeni Air Force launched raids on militant targets before the army moved in on the ground.[30] It also dropped leaflets on Lawdar, Mudiyah and al-Wade'a district urging locals to not cooperate with the militants in order avoid being bombed.[29] An airstrike early morning in Jaʽār killed three militants and one civilian. Attacking from the west, the army reached the Kadama area on the outskirts of Jaʽār. The army moved in on Zinjibar from three directions supported by the air force and the navy. Clashes in the areas lead to the deaths of six militants and two soldiers, including one colonel, while 12 other soldiers were injured.[30]
On 13 May, air raids across Abyan lead to the deaths of at least 30 militants. In Jaʽār, militants took refuge from the airstrikes inside government buildings in the town center.[31] At dawn, army forces launched an assault on the al-Hurur area west of Zinjibar, pushing out the militants as government forces destroyed captured army vehicles, including nearly a dozen tanks and vehicles mounted with rocket launchers. The capture of al-Hurur positioned the army just outside of Jaʽār. Clashes around Zinjibar and in the nearby town of al-Kawd killed 12 soldiers.[32] Government forces reached the Shaddad Fort, around three kilometres east of the city, and Zinjibar Bridge, just one kilometre south of the city.[33] Militants reportedly blew up an oil pipeline in Mayfaa district, Shabwah, in retaliation to losses from the offensive.[34] An attempted attack on the northern gate of the al-Anad Air Base near the living quarters was repelled, though one military officer was killed.[35]
On 14 May, heavy fighting erupted in the al-Jabalain area near Jaʽār as army forces attempted to advance on the town.[36] An airstrike on a vehicle travelling on the outskirts of Lawdar killed 6 militants, while 10 militants were killed by airstrikes on Shuqrah.[31][37] Six army soldiers were killed during clashes in Zinjibar.[37]
On 15 May, the military began launching airstrikes on Jaʽār, five days after it dropped leaflets on the town warning civilians to avoid militant hideouts. The first attack targeted a house and killed two militants. A later air raid killed 12 people from a group of civilians which gathered around the house after the initial strike, and injured 21. Later airstrikes in the town killed 11 militants. The army arrested 25 militants on motorcycles in the area.[36] Clashes in al-Jabalain continued until early in the day, killing at least eight militants and one soldier, and leading to the arrest of two Somali militants.[38] The Yemeni Army had managed to push into the center of Zinjibar, while air force helicopters flew over the city for the first time since its seizure, indicating that the militants had lost their anti-air capability.[35] In Lawdar, eight Popular Committee fighters and eight soldiers were killed, including Colonel Qasim Dabwan of the 111th Infantry Brigade, who was killed by a militant sniper. Popular Committee spokesperson Ali Ahmed said that security forces had pushed the militants "further away from the southern and western entrances of the city."[36] Clashes in the strategic Yusuf Mountain area which overlooks Lawdar left 12 militants, five Popular Committee fighters, and two soldiers dead[38] after the military launched airstrikes on militant hideouts in the area.[35] Government forces seized the hilltop after intense fighting.[39]
On 16 May, militants fired artillery at government forces stationed on the hilltop of the Yusuf Mountain, killing two armed tribesmen and wounding four. The army launched a counterattack in response, killing 11 militants in clashes atop the mountain before the militants retreated.[40] Hit-and-run battles between security forces and militants in Zinjibar left four soldiers dead, while a Jordanian surgeon was arrested on suspicion he was heading to join the militants in Zinjibar.[39]
On 17 May, the military stated that it was advancing in Zinjibar backed by artillery and airstrikes. Yemeni officials stated that the offensive in Zinjibar had slowed down in part due to poor intelligence, leading to uncertainty as to whether most militants in the city were dead, fled the battle or strategically withdrew in preparation for a counteroffensive. The bodies of 11 soldiers and tribal fighters were found in an area the militants retreated from near Lawdar, seemingly killed execution-style. Later in the day, the Yemeni Defense Minister announced that Lawdar had been cleared of militants and was fully secured, ending the battle in the area. Local residents celebrated in the streets as some fired guns into the air. An airstrike in Shuqrah killed six suspected militants.[41]
On 18 May, the military began a two-pronged attack against Jaʽār[42] as army forces moved in and clashed with militants about 10 kilometers north of the town, killing eight of them.[43] According to the military, the army made "notable advances" west of Jaʽār and were situated near an ammunition depot controlled by the militants in the vicinity of the town. Five militants were killed by armed tribesmen as they prevented them from passing through their village northwest of Jaʽār.[44] Airstrikes on Shuqrah killed three militants and wounded six.[43]
On 19 May, clashes about six miles from Jaʽār left 12 soldiers and 22 militants dead.[45] A surprise attack on a military post in the Rahwat al-Hisan area south of Jaʽār killed five soldiers and injured four, while army retaliation killed six militants. Separately, militants destroyed two army tanks in Abyan, killing their operators.[46]
On 20 May, overnight clashes on the western outskirts of Jaʽār killed 13 militants and five tribal fighters, and wounded an additional four.[47] The air force launched four strikes on al-Rabwa, at Jaʽār's western entrance, killing several militants. Witnesses reported seeing 18 vehicles loaded with militants from Azzan being sent to reinforce Jaʽār.[48] A statement written by AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi surfaced on jihadist internet forums in which he urged militants to fight to the death. His statement was largely perceived by analysts as an admission of defeat according to the Yemen Post.[49]
On 21 May, clashes took place at night at the western entrance of Jaʽār, leaving 11 militants and three soldiers dead, and 17 soldiers wounded. Clashes erupted in the northeast of Zinjibar as an attack on a military base in Wadi Hassan, east of the city, killed seven soldiers and wounded 23.[50] In the capital of Sanaa, a suicide bombing killed 96 soldiers at a military parade rehearsal for the upcoming Unity Day. AAS claimed responsibility for the bombing, calling it revenge for their losses in the offensive.[51]
On 22 May, new clashes occurred on the western outskirts of Jaʽār while fighting had subsided around Zinjibar.[52]
On 23 May, seven soldiers and 22 militants were killed during clashes in the militant-controlled town of Bajidar which lasted until morning. The military launched heavy artillery and airstrikes on Zinjibar and Jaʽār.[53] The Yemeni Army advanced into and secured several parts of the central and northern neighbourhoods of Zinjibar, including the stadium and government buildings. At least seven militants were killed and one soldier wounded in the city. 26 militants and nine soldiers were killed in Jaʽār, while two militants were killed as the air force bombed AAS checkpoints in Shuqrah.[54]
On 24 May, overnight fighting in the Jaʽār area left 35 militant fighters dead after AAS conducted an attack on army forces in Wadi Bana, west of the city. Security forces took control of the Wadi Bana after the attack.[55] A military official stated that though the army was making progress in its advance on Jaʽār, "it was facing resistance" from the militants. Sporadic clashes continued in Zinjibar, where the militants snipers were targeting security forces who had taken control of several buildings on the outskirts of the city. Two soldiers were killed and six were wounded in the city.[56]
On 26 May, at least 62 militants were killed in Zinjibar as army forces moved deeper within the city and regained key positions.[57][58] The 25th Mechanised Brigade "managed early on Saturday to deal heavy blows to terrorists in Maraqid and Mashqasa … killing 20 terrorist elements, most of them Somalis" according to its commander Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Sawmali. Two soldiers were killed and four were wounded in the battle for the areas located on the northeastern outskirts of Zinjibar. After capturing them, the army seized machineguns, rockets, and rocket propelled grenades.[59] The bodies of 25 soldiers who had died in earlier clashes were found in the city. A roadside bomb near Jaʽār killed eight soldiers in a military vehicle.[60] The military captured several hills located two kilometers from Jaʽār and seized large quantities of weapons abandoned by retreating militants.[58] A Yemeni aircraft bombed a factory west of the town being used by militants as a base, killing seven.[61] According to CNN, President Hadi ordered forces positioned on the outskirts of Jaʽār and Zinjibar to start an all-out offensive on the cities.[58]
On 27 May, around 15 militants were killed in overnight clashes north of Jaʽār.[61] Reports stated that the 25th Mechanised Brigade, 39th Armored Brigade and local Popular Committee's had recaptured all militant-held positions in the east of Zinjibar, including Maraqid and Mashqasa. A military source stated to the Yemen Times that clashes were ongoing in Zinjibar and that the army had gained control of a large portion of Jaʽār. AAS reportedly proposed a ceasefire agreement in which it would free captured soldiers and civilians, along with a female Swiss tourist, in exchange for the army halting its artillery shelling of Zinjibar and Jaʽār, but it was rejected.[58]
On 28 May, overnight clashes occurred near Jaʽār as ground forces backed by the air force slowly advanced towards it. Five militants including a "mid-level commander" for AQAP, Abdul Rahman al-Musallami, were killed along with one civilian. According to a military official, the military advanced to "about three kilometres of Jaʽār," and have "surrounded the city from the north, the east and the west."[62]
On 29 May, an attack on a military convoy in the village of Mazraat Mashhour, southwest of Zinjibar, left three soldiers and two militants dead. The militants "failed to seize the contents of the convoy" which was headed to Zinjibar from Aden.[63] The military claimed that it had secured most of Zinjibar but was still involved in fierce clashes to completely capture it.[64][63] The army continued its cautious advance towards Jaʽār backed by heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling which destroyed nine houses in the city, killing a resident and injuring three. The city itself was almost entirely deserted excluding the militants, who had "set up anti-aircraft guns and dug trenches in the streets and pulled their heavy weapons into the center of the town from the outskirts for fear of airstrikes" according to a local resident.[64] The army advanced at least one kilometer towards Jaʽār, capturing militant-held positions on its outskirts which put it within two to three kilometers of the town, while killing at least 10 militants.[65]
On 30 May, an early morning counterattack was launched by the militants on army positions in al-Hurur. The militants attempted to encircle the army, however their maneuver was resisted in an intense two-hour battle[66] which left at least 20 militants and seven soldiers dead, and another four soldiers wounded. The 135th Infantry Brigade and 201st Mechanised Brigade successfully repulsed the attack and defused landmines planted by the militants[66] before subsequently increased pressure on the besieged militants in Jaʽār.[67] Artillery shelling and clashes west of Jaʽār left 17 tribal fighters and six soldiers dead and 12 injured. Early day airstrikes on a militant communications station near Shuqrah, which was used to "direct operations using the Internet, wireless communications and a satellite telephone" according to military officials, killed three and wounded seven.[66]
On 31 May, fighting was reported on the northern and western outskirts of Jaʽār where the army ,backed by local Popular Committee fighters, assaulted militant positions. Six soldiers and 12 militants were killed in the clashes, while a further seven militants were killed by artillery shelling in the town.[68]
Fighting intensifies
In fighting on 2 June, three militant rockets hit the headquarters of the 25th Mechanised Brigade, killing one soldier and wounding six others.[69]
On 3 June, after securing the outskirts of Zinjibar, the military moved into the central part of the city where heavy fighting ensued with the militants in the city center. At the same time, troops fought Islamist fighters on the western edge of Jaar.[70]
On 4 June, the military was closing in on the militant-held town of Shaqra, 50 km (30 miles) along the coast east of Zinjibar. Militant forces in the town were reportedly preparing for a fight.[71]
On 11 June, warplanes bombed areas to the north and the west of Jaar and the Army attacked a hilltop munitions factory overlooking the town.[72] After hours of fighting the Army captured the factory. Fighting was also reported in the nearby town of Shaqra.[73]
Recapture of Zinjibar, Ja'ar and Shuqrah
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On 12 June the Yemeni army succeeded in retaking Zinjibar and Jaar, pushing the militants away after heavy clashes in and around both towns. At least 28 casualties were reported, all but two of them being insurgents. Local residents reported vehicles carrying armed men, weapons and furniture heading east towards Shuqrah. The militants reportedly distributed pamphlets in Jaar apologising to residents for dragging the town into a conflict with the army and for the damage caused by the fighting.[7] The governor of Abyan Governorate Jamal al-Aqel estimated that about 200-300 militants, including senior leaders and foreign fighters, had fled east and were being pursued by government forces. The Army reopened the main road between Jaar and Aden and vehicles could travel to the port for the first time in more than a year. The Defence Ministry said on its website that the Yemeni Navy had sunk 10 boats in which the militants had been planning to flee Shuqrah if needed.[74]
After two days of heavy battles the Army reported regaining control of Shuqrah on 15 June. At least 57 militants were confirmed killed, with most of the rest fleeing to Shabwah Governorate and the city of Azzan, one of the last urban strongholds of the militants. The adjacent province also saw intense fighting, with reports indicating at least 23 insurgents died on 14 June during clashes at gas facilities near Belhaf. Government forces have not yet announced their own casualty figures, as well as the civilian toll.[1]
On 17 June, AQAP peacefully withdrew from Azzan following mediation by local tribal leaders. However, the following day, the Army general leading the assault against the militants, General Salem Ali Qatan, was killed in the port city of Aden by a suicide bomber. Two soldiers were killed in the attack and twelve people sustained injuries.[4][75][76]
Aftermath
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In the weeks after the recapture of the main population centers there were no reported incidents. The first major attack was on 1 August, when a group of around 20 militants attacked a police station in the former insurgent stronghold of Jaʿār, killing four officers and injuring another.[77] Three days later, a suicide bomber killed at least 45 people and injured more than 40 others during a funeral service in Jaar. Military officials and residents said the bomber targeted tribesmen who sided with the Yemeni army during an offensive against Islamist fighters that the government hailed as a major victory in June.[78] Abyan remained quiet for the following weeks, despite major attacks by AQAP against the central intelligence building in Aden on 18 August,[79] as well as the convoy of Yemeni Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Nasser Ahmed in the heart of the capital Sana'a. The latter blast came one day after the government announced the death of AQAP number-two operative Said al-Shihri in a US drone strike.[80] On 16 October a suicide bomber killed six local militia members at a checkpoint outside the city of Mudya in Abyan.[81] On 19 October militants set off a car bomb at an army base in Abyan Governorate, sparking a heavy firefight with security forces. Sixteen soldiers and 8 militants were killed during the raid, while at least 29 soldiers were injured.[82][83] A suicide bombing at a militia office in Zinjibar killed at least three on 16 November.[84]
In the beginning of December Amnesty International released a report on the fighting, accusing both sides in the conflict of "horrific" rights abuses and calling for an impartial government probe into events on the ground. According to the report, Islamic militants had set up their own courts and carried out "public summary killings, crucifixion, amputation and flogging". Ansar al-Sharia also "used residential areas as a base of operations, particularly in Jaar, thus exposing civilians to harm. The London-based watchdog also accused Yemeni government troops of using air strikes, artillery and mortars to indiscriminately bombard civilian areas, resulting in scores of casualties, including many children.[85]
On 31 January 2013, clashes broke out between Yemeni Army units and suspected militants in al-Maraksha, Abyan Governorate. By 2 February the government forces had successfully pushed the insurgents out of the town, killing 12 of them. At least 5 Yemeni soldiers and local militia members were also killed during the fighting. According to local sources, the militants moved to East Anwar, about 80 km from the regional capital Zinjibar.[86]
2015–2016 fall and recapture
Al-Qaeda's fighters stormed Jaar and Zinjibar in early December 2015 and recaptured the towns,[87] later declaring them "Emirates", providing civilian services, and establishing a Sharia court. In summer 2016 Yemeni government forces backed by Arab coalition aircraft and gunboats moved to retake the towns, and despite encountering "repeated suicide attacks" drove AQAP out of Zinjibar on 14 August 2016.[88]
References
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