ALBAWABA- Two members of Yemen's National Security Forces were killed after suspected Al-Qaeda militants launched a rare attack on a security headquarters in the southern governorate of Abyan, marking the group's first major reported assault in the region since 2023.
According to local security sources, armed militants attacked the National Security Forces headquarters in the city of Lawdar, triggering clashes with government forces before briefly overrunning the facility and later withdrawing. The Abyan Security Administration confirmed that two security personnel were killed in the attack, describing it as a "treacherous and cowardly" assault.
Although no immediate claim of responsibility has been independently verified, the attack bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has long maintained a presence in Abyan and neighboring governorates despite years of counterterrorism operations.
The assault comes as Yemen faces renewed instability following escalating hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Recent days have seen Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi territory, including Abha International Airport, alongside Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas, including Sana'a International Airport. The Houthis have also declared an end to the fragile truce with Saudi Arabia, raising fears of a broader conflict.
The renewed regional confrontation could create opportunities for extremist groups such as AQAP to regroup and expand operations in southern Yemen, where government control remains fragmented despite the presence of Saudi- and UAE-backed forces.
Since the start of the Saudi-led intervention in 2015, the United Arab Emirates has emerged as a key security actor in southern Yemen through its support for local formations, including the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the Security Belt Forces, and the Hadrami Elite Forces.
While the UAE has consistently said its operations are focused on counter-terrorism and regional stability, reports by international media outlets, human rights organizations, and United Nations experts have raised allegations that individuals with former links to AQAP were incorporated into some UAE-backed local forces or were, at times, allowed to operate under shifting battlefield dynamics. The UAE has repeatedly denied any cooperation with Al-Qaeda.
