Civil War in Yemen and Widespread Al-Qaeda Attacks on Houthis

Reuters reported on Monday that dozens of individuals affiliated with Al-Qaeda have taken control of the city of Ahwar in southern Yemen. The report stated that the city of Ahwar, with a population of thirty thousand, is strategically located between the cities of Mukalla and Zinjibar. These two cities have also been targets of Al-Qaeda in recent weeks. According to a resident cited by Reuters, armed Al-Qaeda men attacked the defending forces of Sheikh Mazen Al-Aqrabi, killing one of the high-ranking commanders. Yemen has been unstable since 2011 following movements in Arab countries known as the Arab Spring. After protests and popular uprisings in 2011, Ali Abdullah Saleh, the then-President of Yemen, resigned, and Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi became the president. Following the unrest, Houthi rebels, who are of the Zaydi Shia sect, emerged and waged war against the new president in alliance with Ali Abdullah Saleh. For nearly a year now, forces from several Gulf Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia have entered the Yemeni civil war to support Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Ilya Jazayeri, a reporter for Radio Farda in the region, states that the second phase of the battle for Sanaa has begun, but the forces under Saudi leadership have not yet been able to retake Sanaa. Regarding accusations against Iran for supporting the Houthis, Ilya Jazayeri mentions that while there is no doubt Iran provides moral and political support to the Houthis, evidence is needed for claims of military assistance. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that the Saudi-led military coalition forces in Yemen are engaged in a significant battle against Al-Qaeda forces and have fought the Houthis. Afshin Shahi, a Middle East studies professor at the University of Bradford in the UK, tells Radio Farda that tactical cooperation is not impossible, but long-term collaboration between Saudi Arabia and Al-Qaeda seems unlikely. On Monday, AFP also reported that a high-ranking Yemeni army commander was killed by an armed man in Sheikh Othman, Aden province. General Abdrabbuh Hussein, commander of the 15th artillery battalion stationed in Abyan province, was killed. This province has faced severe attacks from Al-Qaeda forces in recent weeks.