American expert: Operation Arrows of the East dealt a fatal blow to al-Qaeda in Yemen
English - Thursday 24 November 2022 الساعة 09:23 am
Aden, NewsYemen:
Fernando Carvajal, an American expert on extremist groups and a member of the United Nations Special Team in Yemen, said that Operation Arrows of the East, which was carried out by the southern forces, dealt a "fatal blow" to al-Qaeda in Abyan, causing it to lose control of its safe havens in the governorate, during which it lost prominent field commanders.
In an analysis published by The New Arab newspaper, Carvajal said that the spread of al-Qaeda elements has declined significantly in southern Yemen, after the southern forces extended their control and strengthened their presence and cooperation with local tribes in Abyan Governorate, southeast of the country.
He added that this comes in conjunction with the US administration's resumption of its focus on counter-terrorism activities in the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
The expert on extremist groups added: Propaganda videos and statements published by Al-Qaeda on social media in recent weeks confirm the validity of the victories achieved by the armed forces of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. During Operation Arrows of the East, which targeted the elimination of al-Qaeda in the south of the country.
And "Carvajal" adds: "The southern forces hastened to launch a large-scale deployment to fill the vacuum resulting from the withdrawal of government forces allied with the Islamic Reform Party from Abyan." After that, Operation Arrows of the East was launched to combat terrorism after a series of terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda targeting the southern forces in the oil province of Shabwa.
"Carvajal" believes that the southern forces dealt a "fatal" blow to al-Qaeda in Abyan during the "Arms of the East" operation, and confirms that the strike caused the organization to lose control of its safe havens in the province, as well as its loss of senior leaders during the operation, which forced the terrorist organization to flee, instead. from confrontation.
According to the American expert, the US administration also remained involved in Yemen before the organization's recent revival of activity and its elements claiming responsibility for the series of attacks targeting the southern forces, as the White House sent a letter to Congress in which it referred to the ongoing operations in Yemen to "reduce the terrorist threat" by the organization. The Islamic State in Yemen (IS-Y) and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula announced new sanctions on individuals operating in Yemen and the Horn of Africa.
He said that the southern forces have been criticized by opponents who believe that the southern forces exaggerate talk about the spread of al-Qaeda, but the series of attacks launched by the organization against the southern forces in Shabwa and Abyan and the statements issued by the organization to denounce the military operations launched by the southern forces to purify its strongholds in Abyan and Shabwa It was conclusive evidence of the organization's widespread return. Indeed, last April, the Yemeni government confirmed the existence of evidence of the spread of terrorist organizations in Abyan and Shabwa.
He pointed out that the Shabwa Defense Forces carried out an operation that led to the killing of the leader of al-Qaeda, "Younis al-Qaw'i," nicknamed "Abu Ali al-Shabwani," who belongs to the Rudum region, where the Shabwa Defense Forces managed to kill him during an exchange of fire with him in the center of the city of Ataq last May, and the organization mourned him in A statement he published in June, and after his death, terrorist attacks escalated in both Abyan and Shabwa against the southern forces, including an unknown attempt to assassinate the governor, Awad al-Awlaki, in late August.
He pointed out that the President of the Southern Transitional Council, Major General Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, decided to launch Operation "Arrows of the East" to "cleanse Abyan from terrorist organizations" after the success of his forces in ending the rebellion led by military factions loyal to the Islah Party against the governor of Shabwa, and the withdrawal of a group linked to it that was stationed in It was clear to pave the way for al-Qaeda to overthrow the province, which made the launch of the "arrows of the East" a task that could not be delayed.
Hit the Houthis too
After tightening the screws on al-Qaeda in Abyan, the Houthi militia, the Iranian arm in Yemen, moved to target the positions of the southern forces in the Omran Valley, east of the city of Mudiyah, which confirms the servitude between the two parties.
The Houthi militia supported the terrorist elements in Abyan and Shabwa against the southern forces, and provided them with weapons and mines, to impede the southern forces from clearing the two governorates, within organized coordination to confuse the situation in the southern governorates.
The Houthis tried to target the positions of the southern forces in Wadi Omran with an explosive drone, but the southern forces thwarted the attack and dropped the march, not to mention the militia's move to launch ground attacks on the Abyan fronts in an attempt to relieve pressure on al-Qaeda elements.
