Yemen: Elite Yemeni forces hit al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters near Shabwa
Six members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have been killed in a battle with government forces backed by the UAE in south-east Yemen.
“The fighting flared up between our forces and a cell affiliated with al-Qaeda in Wadi Sur, in the mountainous chain that stretches between Al Musainya area and the district of Markha to the north of Shabwa,” Col Mohammed Al Bowhar, commander of the elite forces in Shabwa, told The National yesterday.
“The elite forces of Shabwa were able to liberate more than three sites occupied by members of al-Qaeda,” he said.
Many terrorists were injured, Col Al Bowhar said, but the cell had the time to withdraw its wounded as the mountainous terrain made it difficult for the UAE-backed forces to encircle the gunmen.