Pro-Govt. forces repel al-Qaeda attack in Yemen

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON –The security official on Friday told news media that Yemini pro-government forces thwarted attack by Yemen-based al-Qaeda factions targeting a military installation in the southern province of Abyan on Thursday.

The official said on condition of anonymity that a unit of the 2nd Brigade of Yemen’s pro-government forces successfully defended against a “treacherous attack” by al-Qaeda militants in Omran Valley at dawn.

Intense clashes persisted for some three hours, resulting in casualties for the terrorist group, and ultimately forcing them to retreat from the battlefield, the official said, without specifying the number of the casualties.

The pro-government forces remain “fully vigilant and ready to respond urgently to any threat and confront all terrorist attempts,” the official added.

The official said that six soldiers from the pro-government forces were injured during the engagement, with some sustained critical wounds.

Al-Qaeda factions have been exploiting Yemen’s protracted civil war and fragile security environment to consolidate their presence, particularly in the south.

Yemeni government and Southern Transitional Council initiated a counter-terrorism campaign to dismantle al-Qaeda strongholds across Abyan province.

Yemen has been facing a civil war since the Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces in late 2014, forced the internationally recognized Yemeni government out of Sanaa.

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