Shabwah Governorate offensive

Insurgent campaign by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Shabwah Governorate offensive

Part of Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen and the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)

AQAP fighters manning a checkpoint in the town of Azzan in April 2012
| Date| March 2014 – December 2016

|

Location|

Habban District and Azzan, Shabwah Governorate, Yemen

Status|

AQAP victory

* Al-Qaeda captured Habban and Azzan
* Pro-Hadi fighters recaptured Azzan
* Azzan recaptured by AQAP
* In March 2019, only 20 percent of Shabwah was controlled by AQAP and its allies.[1]

Belligerents
AQAP|  Yemen
United Arab Emirates
Supported by
United States
Commanders and leaders
Abu Amal †[2]
Yasser al Marouh
Sa’ad bin ‘Atef al Awlaki
Tareq Al-Fadhli
Abdullah Al-Fadhli †|  Colonel Mohammed Salmeen bin Lashqam †
Jafar Al-Hamed  †
Brig Gen Aziz Al-Ateeqi
Maj Gen Nasser Al-Nuba
Governor Ahmed Lamlas
Brig Gen Alawi Ali Nasser Al-Harethi
Brig Gen Abdullah Saeed Saleh Al-Islami
Ahmed Mohsen Ruwais Al-Sulaymani
Awad Al-Dhaboul
Sheikh Ali Mohsen Al-Sulaymani
Sheikh Ali Al-Hajari
Casualties and losses
35+ killed[3][4]|  30+killed[5][6] 40+ wounded

* v
* t
* e

Yemeni crisis

Revolution
(2011–12)

* Saada
* Sana'a
* Taiz
* Dammaj

* * *

Ansar al-Shariah campaign (2011–14)

* Zinjibar
* Dofas
* Abyan
* 2012 Sana'a
* Radda
* Nov 2013 Sanaa
* Dec 2013 Sana'a
* Rescue operations

* * *

Houthi rebellion (2014)

* 2nd Dammaj
* Amran

Civil war
(2014–present)

* 2nd Battle of Sana'a
* Rada'a [ar]
* Houthi takeover
* 1st Shabwah
* Saudi-led intervention
* Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict
* Taiz
* Marib governorate
* Marib city
* Dhale
* Aden
* airport
* 2015
* 2018
* 2019
* Abyan
* 2015 campaign
* 2016 southern offensive
* Lahij
* 2015 Shabwah
* 2015 Mukalla
* Zinjibar and Jaar
* Nihm
* Port Midi
* Hadramaut
* Al Masini
* Battle of Mukalla
* June 2016 Mukalla
* 2017 Battle of Sana'a
* Al Hudaydah
* Al Hudaydah city
* Masini
* Takeover of Socotra
* Victory from God
* Jabara
* Al-Jawf offensive
* Al Bayda offensive
* 2022 Southern Yemen
* Operation Prosperity Guardian

Bombings and terrorist attacks in Yemen

* Radda
* Ibb
* Jan 2015 Sana'a
* Mar 2015 Sana'a
* Sep 2015 Sana'a
* Oct 2015 Aden
* Dec 2015 Aden
* 4 Mar 2016 Aden
* 25 Mar 2016 Aden
* May 2016 Mukalla
* May 2016 Aden
* Aug 2016 Aden
* Dec 2016 Aden
* Mar 2022 Aden
* Mar 2024 al-Bayda

Houthi missile and drone attacks in Yemen

* 2015 Marib
* 2015 Taiz
* 2016 al-Anad
* 2019 al-Anad
* Aug 2019 Aden
* Jan 2020 Marib
* Aug 2020 Marib
* Dec 2020 Aden airport
* 2021 Marib
* 2021 al-Anad

* * *

* US–Saudi arms deal
* Peace process

Saudi-led intervention (2015–present)

Saudi Arabian airstrikes on Yemen

* Mokha
* Sana'a
* Hajjah
* Dahyan
* Dhamar
* Saada

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

* 2018 Riyadh
* Abha Airport
* Abqaiq–Khurais
* 2020 Riyadh

Houthi attacks on the United Arab Emirates

* 2022 Abu Dhabi

* * *

U.S. raids on al-Qaeda

* Yakla
* Hathla

* * *

Red Sea crisis
(2023–present)

* Timeline
* Order of battle

Attacks

* Hijacking of the Galaxy Leader
* Attacks on the MV Maersk Hangzhou
* Marlin Luanda missile strike
* Sinking of the MV Rubymar
* Attack on the MV True Confidence
* Attacks on the MV Tutor
* 2024 Houthi drone attack on Israel
* Attacks on the Sounion
* Attacks on the MV Maersk Hangzhou
* 2024 Tel Aviv drone attack
* 20 July 2024 Israeli attack on Yemen
* 29 September 2024 Israeli attacks on Yemen

Military operations

* Operation Prosperity Guardian
* Operation Aspides
* Operation Poseidon Archer
* 30 May 2024 Yemen strikes
* Operation Outstretched Arm

Diplomacy

* United Nations Security Council Resolution 2722

Effects

* Environmental impact

Humanitarian crisis

* Blockade
* Disease outbreaks

* Cholera
* COVID-19

* Famine
* Locust infestation
* Refugees on Jeju Island
* War crimes and human rights violations

The Shabwah Governorate offensive is an insurgent campaign by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) forces to take control of Shabwah Governorate during the Yemeni Civil War.

## Habban incidents

[edit]

Although AQAP is not active in Habban District, the first violence was reported there in mid-March 2014 when three AQAP militants were reportedly killed while planting a car bomb. According to tribal sources, the explosion occurred near the home of al-Qaeda (AQ) Sabban commander Yasser al Marouh. Yemeni security forces identified the three militants; two were Yemeni, and one was a Saudi national. The house was severely damaged by the blast, but it was unknown if the commander was home. One bystander was also killed; two were reportedly injured by the explosion, and were rushed to Azzan Hospital in Habban. Yemeni security sources told Arabic news outlets that they assumed the car bomb was being set as part of an operation targeting Yemeni military or security personnel. They said that the Shabwa, Hadhramaut, Abyan, and Al Bayda provinces had been battlegrounds for al-Qaeda and Yemeni security personnel for over two years, and hundreds had died.[7]

In early August 2014, fighting broke out in Habban and on the Shabwan border with Hadhramaut which left 12 Yemeni soldiers and nine AQAP soldiers dead.[5][6] AQAP attacked government troops in Azzan on September 1, killing 13 and wounding 40.[8] It captured Habban in mid-2015, expelling Yemenis loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi from the city. On April 17 of that year, two AQAP fighters were killed by a US airstrike in Habban;[citation needed] four AQAP fighters were killed in Shabwah by a US drone strike on 3 March 2016.[9] On October 6, 2016, a US airstrike killed two AQ operatives.[10]

## Azzan, lost and gained

[edit]

On February 1, 2016, AQAP captured Azzan without resistance from the population or the Yemeni army. The group then began to establish its version of Sharia law (as it had done in Zinjibar, Jaʽār and another town), reportedly executing civilians for committing adultery.[11][12][13][14] On March 30, 2016, a suspected US drone strike killed four AQAP soldiers manning a checkpoint on the outskirts of Azzan.[15]

On April 25, 2016, pro-Hadi loyalists and UAE soldiers entered Azzan after AQAP retreated without resistance. A day before the AQAP withdrawal, a suspected US drone strike near Azzan killed nine AQAP fighters.[16][17] Azzan was reportedly again under AQAP control on December 3, 2016.[18]

## Other incidents

[edit]

A reported U.S. airstrike killed four AQAP militants in al Aqlah on February 20, 2016.[19] On March 4, another drone strike killed four more AQAP fighters.[20] A reported U.S. airstrike killed three suspected AQAP militants in the Markhat Bahyan region of northwestern Shabwah Governorate on April 28.[21][22] In early March 2017, a US strike killed 4 reported AQAP fighters in al-Saeed.[23] A day later, US airstrikes killed at least 12 AQAP fighters and wounded civilians in the village of Wadi Yashbum. The home of senior AQAP leader Usayd al-Adani was struck by a drone, killing him. That night, US soldiers landed by helicopter and engaged in a half-hour gunfight with AQAP forces.[24]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Ali Mahmood (March 27, 2019). "Yemen: UAE-backed forces launch military operation to track down Al Qaeda". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved September 29, 2020.
2. ^ Oren Adaki (October 6, 2014). "AQAP releases video of coordinated attacks in Shabwa". Threat Matrix. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
3. ^ "3 al Qaeda militants killed while assembling car bomb". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
4. ^ Reuters Editorial (4 March 2016). "Drone kills four suspected al Qaeda militants in Yemen". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2016. `{{cite web}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)
5. ^ a b Reuters Editorial (4 August 2014). "Suspected al Qaeda militants kill nine Yemeni soldiers -local officials". Reuters UK. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016. `{{cite web}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)
6. ^ a b Reuters Editorial (6 August 2014). "Yemeni troops kill nine suspected al Qaeda militants: agency". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2016. `{{cite web}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)
7. ^ "Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen accidently blow themselves up while handling car bombs". New York Daily News. Associated Press. March 17, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
8. ^ "Yemen Times [ Offline ]". Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
9. ^ "Gunmen kill 16 people in attack on nursing home in Yemen". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
10. ^ Roggio, Bill (December 24, 2016). "US military killed 15 AQAP operatives in 6 airstrikes". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
11. ^ AP. "Al-Qaeda seizes southern Yemeni town of Azzan". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
12. ^ Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (30 April 2012). "Al-Qaida's wretched utopia and the battle for hearts and minds". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
13. ^ "AQAP provides social services, implements sharia while advancing in southern Yemen". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
14. ^ "Al-Qaeda captures police HQ in Yemen". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
15. ^ "Air strikes target and kill al-Qaeda militants in Yemen". Al Arabiya English. Reuters. March 31, 2016. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018.
16. ^ "Yemeni Forces Seize Main Oil Terminal from al-Qaida". VOA. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
17. ^ "Yemen Govt. Forces Retake Key Port City from Qaida". Naharnet. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
18. ^ "UAE-trained Yemeni troops secure strategic Belhaf from Al Qaeda". The National. Agence France-Presse. December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
19. ^ "طائرة امريكية تدمر سيارة للقاعدة في شبوة ومقتل من عليها". Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2017-02-05.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
20. ^ "Drone kills four suspected al Qaeda militants in Yemen". Reuters. March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
21. ^ "مقتل عناصر من القاعدة في غارة لطائرة من دون طيار في #شبوة". Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2017-02-05.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
22. ^ "الاباتشي تقصف مواقع القاعدة في محيط مدينة الحوطة". Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2017-02-05.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
23. ^ Stewart, Phil; Mukhashaf, Mohammed (March 2, 2017). "U.S. Hits Al Qaeda In Yemen With More Than 20 Drone Strikes". Huffington Post. Reuters.
24. ^ "US air raids target al-Qaeda in Yemen, wound civilians". Al Jazeera. March 3, 2017. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Yemeni civil war (2014–present)

* Timeline
* Outline
* Yemeni crisis

Background|

* Houthi insurgency in Yemen
* Houthi takeover in Yemen
* Aftermath of the Houthi takeover in Yemen
* Battle of Sanaa (2014)
* Human rights in Yemen

Battles
and attacks|

* Shabwah Governorate offensive (2014–present)
* Battle of Aden Airport
* 2015 Sanaa mosque bombings: March and September
* Marib campaign
* Battle of Dhale
* Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen
* Battle of Aden (2015)
* Abyan campaign (March–August 2015)
* Lahij insurgency
* Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict
* Shabwah campaign (March–August 2015)
* Battle of Mukalla (2015)
* Taiz campaign (2015–present)
* September 2015 Marib Tochka missile attack
* Aden unrest (2015–present)
* October 2015 Aden missile attack
* 2015 Aden car bombing
* Aden Christian attack
* 2016 Aden car bombing
* 23 May 2016 Aden bombings
* August 2016 Aden bombing
* December 2016 Aden suicide bombings
* Zinjibar and Jaar
* December 2015 Taiz missile attack
* Nihm Offensive
* Battle of Port Midi
* Hadramaut Insurgency
* Southern Abyan Offensive (2016)
* Abyan conflict (2016–2018)
* Battle of Mukalla (2016)
* May 2016 Yemen police bombings
* June 2016 Mukalla attacks
* 2016 Sanaa funeral airstrike
* Raid on Yakla
* Raid on Al Hathla
* Battle of Sanaa (2017)
* Battle of Aden (2018)
* Battle of Al Hudaydah
* Dahyan air strike
* Abha International Airport attack
* Battle of the Jabara Valley
* 2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack
* January 2020 Marib attack
* Al-Jawf offensive
* Al Bayda offensive
* August 2020 Marib attack
* 2020 Aden attacks
* Battle of Marib
* 2021 Aden bombings
* 2022 Abu Dhabi attack
* Saada prison airstrike
* 2022 Jeddah missile attack
* 2022 Southern Yemen offensive
* Red Sea Crisis (2023-)
* Operation Prosperity Guardian

Reactions|

* Foreign involvement in the Yemeni civil war
* Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war
* Blockade of Yemen
* Yemeni peace process
* United Arab Emirates takeover of Socotra

Impacts|

* Humanitarian crisis
* Famine
* Cholera outbreak
* Airstrikes on hospitals
* Refugees on Jeju Island
* COVID-19
* Water supply and sanitation
* War crimes and human rights violations

Belligerents|

| Alimi government|

* Pro-Alimi security forces
* Saleh loyalist defectors
* Al-Islah
* Popular Resistance
* Popular Committees
* Southern Movement
* Southern Transitional Council
* Republican Guard
* National Hadhrami Council

|

Houthi government|

* Supreme Political Council
* Houthis
* Pro-Saleh forces
* Supreme Revolutionary Committee

People|

| Alimi government|

* Rashad al-Alimi
* Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi
* Mahmoud al-Subaihi
* Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar
* Khaled Bahah
* Hussein Arab
* Ahmed Saleh
* Tareq Saleh

|

Houthi government|

* Saleh Ali al-Sammad
* Mohamed al-Atifi
* Mohammed al-Houthi
* Hussein Khairan
* Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
* Ali Abdullah Saleh

Related|

* United States–Houthi conflict (2023–present)
* Reactions to the Saudi-led military intervention
* List of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen

* v
* t
* e

List of modern conflicts in the Middle East

1910s|

* Italo-Turkish War
* World War I
* Middle Eastern theatre
* Battle of Robat Karim
* Arab Revolt
* Armenian genocide
* Assyrian genocide
* Mount Lebanon starvation
* Unification of Saudi Arabia
* Simko Shikak revolt
* 1919 Egyptian revolution
* Turkish War of Independence
* Anglo-Turkish War
* Al-Jazeera Front
* Greco-Turkish War
* Turkish–Armenian War
* Franco-Turkish War
* Revolts
* United States
* Mahmud Barzanji revolts

1920s|

* Franco-Syrian War
* Iraqi Revolt (1920)
* Intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine
* Adwan Rebellion
* Arab separatism in Khuzestan
* Great Syrian Revolt
* Sheikh Said rebellion

1930s|

* Ararat rebellion
* Ahmed Barzani revolt
* Simele massacre
* Saudi–Yemeni War (1934)
* Goharshad Mosque rebellion
* 1935–1936 Iraqi Shia revolts
* 1935 Yazidi revolt
* 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine
* Dersim rebellion

1940s|

* World War II
* Italian bombing of Palestine
* Allied invasion of Iraq
* Syria–Lebanon campaign
* Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
* 1943 Barzani revolt
* Al-Waziri coup
* Al-Wathbah uprising
* Kurdish separatism in Iran
* Iran crisis of 1946
* Arab–Israeli conflict
* 1948 Arab–Israeli War
* Suez Crisis
* 1967 Six-Day War
* 1973 Yom Kippur War
* 1982 Lebanon War

1950s|

* 1952 Egyptian revolution
* 1953 Iranian coup d'état
* Jebel Akhdar War
* Cyprus Emergency
* Suez Crisis
* Yemeni–Adenese clan violence
* 1958 Lebanon crisis
* 1958 Iraqi revolution
* 1959 Mosul uprising

1960s|

* Cyprus crisis of 1963–1964
* Iraqi–Kurdish conflict
* First Iraqi–Kurdish War
* Second Iraqi–Kurdish War
* Dhofar Rebellion
* North Yemen Civil War
* Feb. 1963 Iraqi coup
* Mar. 1963 Syrian coup
* Nov. 1963 Iraqi coup
* Aden Emergency
* 1964 Hama riot
* Israeli–Palestinian conflict
* 1948 Palestine war
* First Intifada
* Second Intifada
* 1966 Syrian coup d'état

1970s|

* Black September in Jordan
* Yemenite War of 1972
* Turkish invasion of Cyprus
* Shatt al-Arab clashes
* Lebanese Civil War
* Political violence in Turkey
* Islamist uprising in Syria
* 1977 Shia uprising in Iraq
* NDF Rebellion
* Yemenite War of 1979
* Iranian Revolution
* Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution
* 1979 Qatif Uprising
* Grand Mosque seizure
* 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq

1980s|

* Iran–Iraq War
* 1980 Turkish coup d'état
* Kurdish–Turkish conflict
* Turkey–PKK conflict
* South Yemen civil war
* 1986 Egyptian conscripts riot
* 1986 Damascus bombings
* 1987 Sharjawi coup d'état attempt
* Mecca massacre
* Abu Nidal's executions

1990s|

* Gulf War (1990–1991)
* 1991 Iraqi uprisings
* Terror campaign in Egypt (1990s)
* Yemeni Civil War (1994)
* Iraqi Kurdish Civil War
* Islamic insurgency in Saudi Arabia (2000–present)
* Operation Desert Fox
* al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
* 1999 Shia uprising in Iraq

2000s|

* Iraq War
* Balochi insurgency in Iran
* 2004 Qamishli riots
* Houthi insurgency in Yemen
* Iran–Israel proxy conflict
* 2006 Lebanon War
* Fatah–Hamas conflict
* South Yemen insurgency

2010s|

* 2011 Bahraini uprising
* Egyptian Crisis
* Sinai insurgency
* Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present)
* Syrian civil war
* Turkish involvement in Syria
* Syrian War spillover in Lebanon
* Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)
* War in Iraq (2013–2017)
* Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present)
* Yemeni crisis
* Yemeni civil war (2014–present)

2020s|

* 2021 Beirut clashes
* Israel–Hamas war
* Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)
* Red Sea crisis

This list includes World War I and later conflicts (after 1914) of at least 100 fatalities each
Prolonged conflicts are listed in the decade when initiated; ongoing conflicts are marked italic, and conflicts with +100,000 killed with bold.

* v
* t
* e

Yemen articles

History|

* Timeline
* Ancient history
* Minaean
* Himyar
* Kingdom of Aksum
* Sasanian
* Islamic history

Modern|

* Saudi–Yemeni War (1934)
* Alwaziri coup
* North Yemen Civil War
* Yemenite Wars
* 1972
* 1979
* South Yemen civil war
* Unification
* 1994 Civil War
* Houthi insurgency
* Takeover
* Aftermath of the takeover
* Crisis (2011–present)
* Revolution
* Civil war (2014–present)
* Saudi–led intervention
* Saudi–led blockade
* Famine in Yemen (2016–present)
* 2016–2022 Yemen cholera outbreak
* COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen

Geography|

* Borders
* Cities
* Districts
* Governorates
* Islands
* National parks
* Rivers

Politics|

* House of Representatives
* Cabinet
* Constitution
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Human rights
* LGBT rights
* Law enforcement
* Political parties
* President
* Vice President
* Prime Minister

Military|

* Republican Guard
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard

Economy|

* Energy
* Rial (currency)
* Mining
* Telecommunications
* Tourism
* Transport
* Khat

Society|

* Demographics
* Tribes
* Education
* Health
* Languages
* Religion
* Water supply and sanitation

Culture|

* Anthem
* Cinema
* Coat of arms
* Cuisine
* Flag
* Media
* Museums
* Music
* Public holidays
* Sport

* Outline
* Index

* Category

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