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Battle of Zinjibar (2011–2012)

Coordinates: 13°7′42″N 45°22′49″E / 13.12833°N 45.38028°E / 13.12833; 45.38028
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Battle of Zinjibar
معركة زنجبار
Part of the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen, the Yemeni revolution and the Yemeni crisis
Top: A building in Zinjibar with an Ansar al-Sharia seal written on it
Bottom: Map of the battle
Date27 May 2011 – 12 June 2012 (2011-05-27 – 2012-06-12)
(1 year, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Zinjibar and surrounding areas, Abyan Governorate, Yemen
13°7′42″N 45°22′49″E / 13.12833°N 45.38028°E / 13.12833; 45.38028
Result Yemeni government victory
Territorial
changes		 Zinjibar recaptured by Yemeni government forces
Belligerents
Yemen
United States
Saudi Arabia		 Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Commanders and leaders
Yemen Mahdi Maqula (until March 2012)
Yemen Salem Ali Qatan (after March 2012)
Yemen Mohammed al-Somali
Yemen Faisal Rajab
Yemen Mahmoud al-Subaihi		 Nasir al-Wuhayshi
Qasim al-Raymi
Said Ali al-Shihri
Jalal Baleedi
Units involved
 Ansar al-Sharia
Strength
June 2011:
2,000 soldiers (25th Mechanized Brigade)[6]
May 2012:
20,000 soldiers[7]		 May 2011:
300 fighters[8]
January 2012:
700–1,000 fighters[9]
May 2012:
2,000 fighters[10]
Casualties and losses
500[11]–1,000 killed[12]
600 wounded[13]		 600+ killed[12]
60,842 displaced
Zinjibar is located in Yemen
Zinjibar
Zinjibar
class=notpageimage|
Location within Yemen

The Battle of Zinjibar was a battle between forces loyal to Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), for control of the town of Zinjibar and its surroundings as part of the wider insurgency in the self-declared Al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen. Many of the Islamist forces operating in Abyan province refer to themselves as Ansar al-Sharia ("Partisans of Sharia").

Background

[edit]
Further information: Yemeni revolution

As part of the wider Arab Spring movement, protesters in Yemen began demanding the ouster of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh in January 2011, sparking the Yemeni revolution. The mostly-peaceful demonstrations, which began in Taiz and eventually found its way to the capital of Sanaa, were inflamed after 18 March, when pro-Saleh gunmen killed at least 52 protestors at an anti-government encampment. Many of Saleh's allies began to switch sides in the aftermath of the massacre. The defection of influential military general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and several other generals effectively split the military between those supporting the protestors and those supporting Saleh. Tensions between the Saleh regime and the powerful Hashid tribal confederation, led by pro-revolution sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, culminated in May with open clashes in Sanaa.[14][15]: 269–270 

Although other affiliate groups of al-Qaeda such as al-Shabaab in Somalia and al-Qaeda in Iraq had done so previously, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had never held or administered territory in Yemen prior to the revolution.[16]: 463 [17] The Yemeni government and public at large mostly believed AQAP to be an issue that the West was concerned with, in turn leading to AQAP prioritizing international attacks and maintaining a low profile within Yemen.[12] AQAP military commander Qasim al-Raymi had only led brief takeovers of the southern towns of Lawdar and al-Hawtah in 2010.[17] Upon asking Osama bin Laden months before the Arab Spring, AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi was told that his group did not have enough popular support locally in order to establish an outward presence. But with the regime's preoccupation with its own survival in the context of the revolution and fractures and fighting within the military, AQAP's leadership believed there to be a renewed opportunity to establish a foothold in Yemen.[15]: 270–271  Their targets primary were the southern governorates of Abyan and Shabwah, which the group had historically used as hideouts due to the mountainous terrain and independant tribes.[18][19]

On 27 March 2011, Islamic militants later identified as members of AQAP captured Jaar and its surrounding areas, as the soldiers guarding the small town in Abyan quickly fled their posts after having been unpaid for weeks. The militants proceeded to declare Jaar an Islamic emirate led by notable tribesman Jalal Baleedi. On 18 April, AQAP sharia official Adel al-Abab identified Ansar al-Sharia as "what we use to introduce ourselves in areas where we work to tell people about our work and goals, and that we are on the path of Allah".[19] He stated that AQAP was in control of Jaar under the name of Ansar al-Sharia, and would soon target the nearby provincial capital of Zinjibar.[15]: 271 

Forces involved

[edit]

Ansar al-Sharia

[edit]

An estimated force of 300 militants led the initial capture of Zinjibar in May 2011.[20] Some reports describe those fighters as belonging to local tribes,[3] though others detailed hundreds of foreign fighters among them.[14] The leader of Ansar al-Sharia, Jalal Baleedi, was also present in the city during its capture and was identified as a former resident.[14][21]

Many fighters from Jaar arrived to Zinjibar prior to tribal forces seizing the entrances to the city in July, when an estimated 700 militants were present.[8][22][19] Residents described hundreds of Islamists entering the town after its capture in order to join the militants in June.[23] Many fighters had come from other areas of Yemen including Marib, Shabwah, Saada and al-Jawf governorates.[8][24] Small numbers of foreign fighters were also present in the town,[25] including Egyptians, Sudanese, Somalis, Pakistanis, Saudis, Iraqis and Syrians.[14][9] By the end of 2011, estimates of Ansar al-Sharia fighters present in Zinjibar ranged from 700 to 1,000.[9]

The militants were extremely disciplined and had a clear military plan, moving in highly organized cells.[26] A resident noted that fighters were distributed throughout the city in groups of 15.[27] As government forces pushed deeper into Zinjibar and Ansar al-Sharia suffered more losses, by May 2012 the militants had adopted a guerilla strategy.[28] Ansar al-Sharia's ability to move in small cells and 'never hold out in one place' created difficulty for the Yemeni Army in confronting them. The group's fighters 'know the area very well ... and take advantage of the dense trees to move surreptitiously' according to a military officer.[29]

An Ansar al-Sharia-affiliated media outlet claimed that the group seized 'heavy artillery pieces, modern anti-aircraft weapons, a number of tanks and armored transports in addition to large quantities of different kinds of ammunition' from deserting security forces during the capture of Zinjibar.[4] Militants were equipped with mortars, snipers, machine guns, Katyusha-type rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and Strela missile launchers among other weapons during the battle.[9][6][30] They utilized machine gun technicals and operated at least two T-62 tanks stolen from the military, though their effectiveness was negligible before they were destroyed by government airstrikes.[30][31]

Yemeni government

[edit]

Conventional units operating in Zinjibar were under the command of the Southern Military Region of the Yemeni Land Forces.[32] Three units were involved in most of the fighting; the 25th Mechanized Brigade, 201st Mechanized Brigade and 119th Infantry Brigade. Other units were later deployed as part of the July–September 2011 offensive, them being the 31st Armored Brigade, 39th Armored Brigade and 115th Infantry Brigade. The 135th Infantry Brigade later joined the fight in April 2012.[33]

The Central Security Forces (CFS) and elite Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), both components of the Ministry of Interior rather than the military, were officially deployed in Zinjibar to support the army in early April 2012,[34] though a journalist from Le Monde had wrote of a CTU force of 120 soldiers fighting on the frontlines since November 2011.[30] According to a CTU officer in Abyan, the unit was directly coordinating with conventional army forces on the ground and "participates in battles but in tactical ways."[34] On 3 June 2012, the President ordered Republican Guard commander Ahmed Saleh to have his unit take a central role in the final stretch of recapturing Zinjibar.[35] By 9 June 2012, the Republican Guard was engaging in clashes against the militants.[36]

The strength of the 25th Mechanized Brigade by June 2011 was numbered at around 2,000 soldiers.[6] During the months-long siege on their base, they were surviving mainly off of rice and well water;[9] journalist Jeremy Scahill, who toured the frontlines of Zinjibar with brigade personnel, said "They looked thin and haggard, many with long beards and tattered uniforms or no uniforms at all."[16]: 463  The brigade's inexperience in guerilla warfare and shortage in equipment such as night-vision goggles and snipers, and the government's inadequate deployment of special forces in the city, hampered its ability to effectively fight the militants for most of 2011.[9] Associated Press described military forces in Abyan at large as "ill-equipped, poorly trained with weak intelligence capabilities" and "riven with conflicted loyalties".[37]

Battle

[edit]

Ansar al-Sharia takeover (May 2011)

[edit]

On 27 May, around 300 fighters from Ansar al-Sharia departed from Jaar and, after a travelling through a stretch of mountains, descended into Zinjibar unopposed.[15]: 276 [3] Attributed to an "intelligence breakdown", the surprise invasion was completed within a few hours and without any response by government forces stationed in the city.[16]: 461 [14] The first target of the militants, the local base of the Central Security Forces (CSF) on the eastern outskirts of the city, was quickly abandoned by its soldiers, allowing for the militants to raid it and loot the equipment. Most of the CSF soldiers, excluding 50 who were captured, fled to the headquarters of the 25th Mechanized Brigade on the southeast edge of the city. After equipping themselves with the looted weapons, the militants proceeded to besiege the base, while other militants spread through the city and captured it uncontested, including the local government headquarters.[15]: 276–277 All government buildings were taken over, while surrendering soldiers were executed and occupants of the main prison were released.[38]

The commander of the 25th Mechanized Brigade, Brigadier General Muhammad al-Somali, soon realized that nearly all local officials, including the governor, the security chief, and the head of an army brigade, had fled the city for Aden.[3] After receiving no response from a local Republican Guard outpost, Somali contacted influential renegade general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar for help.[15]: 277  The 119th Infantry Brigade, located west of Zinjibar, was pro-revolution and led by Ahmar ally General Faisal Rajab.[39] As Somali asserted to Ahmar that he remained neutral to the revolution, the 119th Infantry Brigade was not mobilized, allowing Ansar al-Sharia to consolidate control over Zinjibar.[15]: 277  Checkpoints were established by the militants at the three highways leading into the city.[15]: 278 [40] At noon, Ansar al-Sharia leader Jalal Baleedi, surrounded by his men, gave a speech for Friday prayers at a mosque in the city. They later looted the central bank and encouraged civilians to take part.[14]

The 25th Mechanized Brigade faced further pressure from Ansar al-Sharia by 30 May.[8]: 8  On 29 May, the army began shelling Zinjibar with artillery,[41] and on 30 May the Yemeni Air Force began launching airstrikes on the city.[42] The period saw some of the most intense fighting during the entire battle, with the military bombing campaign indiscriminately targeting the city without warnings for civilians.[25] Residents estimated that around 200 homes were destroyed by the air raids.[3] Most of the city's residents had deserted the town by that time.[43]

Intensified clashes and army encirclement (June–July 2011)

[edit]

The military said that three additional brigades were mobilized on the evening of 6 June in preparation to assault Zinjibar and relieve the 25th Mechanized Brigade. Two days earlier, a pair of militant ambushes near the city had left nine soldiers dead. Army forces attempted to advance towards the city's entrance overnight but encountered stiff resistance from Ansar al-Sharia.[44] During the clashes, Ansar al-Sharia fighters attacked an army position outside of the city, leading to an hours-long gun battle which left nine soldiers and six militants dead before the post was resecured. By the next day, the government claimed that at least 30 militants had been killed in Zinjibar in two days.[45] Meanwhile, the United States inaugurated its targeted airstrike campaign on the city on 3 June, killing AQAP commanders Ali Abdullah Naji al-Harithi and Ammar al-Waeli.[46]: 10 

On 11 June, Ansar al-Sharia attempted an early morning attack on the base of the 25th Mechanized Brigade, though it was repelled and led to the deaths of 18 militants and nine soldiers. Elsewhere, the brigade destroyed a weapons and ammunition warehouse held by the militants.[47][48] Somali stated in an interview that the attempted raid "represented the greatest attempt by al-Qaeda to gain control of the brigade. Following this, they continued to lay ambushes, target our men with snipers, and carry out intermittent light attacks, but not on the previous scale."[49] A group of militants planting a roadside bomb near Zinjibar were attacked by the army on 19 June, leading to 12 of them along with two soldiers dying.[50]

By 20 June, Ansar al-Sharia had dispersed its forces across three fronts in the area, one of which was besieging the 25th Mechanized Brigade in Zinjibar, while another battled the 119th Infantry Brigade in the nearby area of Dofas along the Aden-Abyan road. The 119th Infantry Brigade claimed that it had made significant progress in capturing parts of Dofas during heavy fighting.[51] However, days later it and the 201st Mechanized Brigade withdrew from Dofas and were pulled three kilometers from the front lines into the outskirts of Aden to set up a security cordon. According to the military, the decision was a tactical move to remain in open territory and avoid heavy casualties as it had suffered during its advance in Dofas due to the militants setting up ambushes in the forests.[52][53]

Reports on the battle by late June described Ansar al-Sharia still retaining firm control of Zinjibar, and the 25th Mechanized Brigade being confined to their base and fighting the militants on the city's outskirts.[54] The military was launching daily artillery shelling and airstrikes on the city, indiscriminately hitting both Islamist positions and civilians according to the residents. A local official said that 35 homes had been destroyed by the bombings in the previous two weeks alone.[55]

After failing to gain control of the base itself earlier in the month, Ansar al-Sharia instead tightened their siege on the 25th Mechanized Brigade by taking control of the al-Wahda Stadium.[56] Witnesses describe around 300 militants armed with heavy weaponry attacking the base on 29 June, leading to an intense battle. The air force was mobilized to counterattack the militants, though one airstrike had hit a nearby civilian bus. By the end of the day, the stadium was in control of Ansar al-Sharia, with 25 soldiers and 11 dying during the clashes.[6] An army officer later reported an additional 50 troops being unaccounted for.[54] The loss of the stadium deprived the 25th Mechanized Brigade of a major outpost for storing supplies and refueling,[6][57] and exposed the brigade on its southeastern flank.[56] The New York Times wrote that the defeat at the stadium was a clear display of the army's struggles in retaking Zinjibar.[6]

After capturing the stadium, the militants proceeded to surround the base of the 25th Mechanized Brigade, with gunmen situated above nearby buildings army movements. The brigade was running out of fuel and water, and was in dire need of supplies and reinforcements in order to continue fighting. An army officer pleaded for more support in a 3 July interview with Reuters, stating that clashes were occurring daily around the vicinity of the base.[54][57] Tribal figure Tariq al-Fadhli attempted to mediate between the parties but neither side showed interest.[58]

Army-tribal offensive (17 July – 10 September 2011)

[edit]

On 17 July, the Yemeni military launched an offensive in Zinjibar, with reinforcements primarily from the 119th Infantry Brigade being sent to the city along with 450 pro-government tribal fighters. Ansar al-Sharia had been losing support from the tribes of Abyan in the lead up to the offensive,[8]: 9  with tribal gunmen having cut supply lines to the city by 13 July.[22] Backed by heavy tank shelling and rocket attacks from naval units off the coast, the reinforcements advanced from the west to lift the siege on the 25th Mechanized Brigade, clashing with militants in the al-Khamila and Dio neighborhoods of Zinjibar.[8]: 9  Casualties were also reported in the east as militants fought army and tribal forces attempting to enter the city.[59] On 20 July, two senior AQAP commanders, Ayad al-Shabwani and Awad Mohammed Saleh al-Shabwani, were killed in combat, while units from the 31st Armoured Brigade and 119th Infantry Brigade fought against a militant attack at the bridge to Zinjibar in al-Kawd.[60] On 21 July, government forces closed off the entrances to Zinjibar; the next day, a tribal convoy intercepted a militant convoy heading to Zinjibar, killing one and capturing 10 others. By 25 July, residents reported that Ansar al-Sharia was present only in some pockets of the city and that government forces were starting to close in, as an attempted attack on the 25th Mechanized Brigade base left 10 militants dead. On 27 July, fighting in the city left 17 militants dead, including veteran Saudi militant and AQAP commander Ibrahim al-Najdi.[61][8]: 9 

Fighting between the army and the militants intensified near the end of July as Ramadan was set to begin.[62] A major setback in the offensive occurred as result of a friendly fire incident on 29 July, in which a Yemeni aircraft launched at least three consecutive airstrikes on a communications building after tribal forces had occupied during their advance east towards the city. The strikes killed 40 people, including two colonels, a lieutenant colonel, a major, and a sheik from the Nahee tribe. The incident ruined tribal morale and trust in the government, resulting in tribal forces temporarily withdrawing from the battle to reevaluate their partnership with the army as the militants resolidified control over Zinjibar.[63] Intense fighting over 29 to 30 July left multiple tribal commanders and military officers dead, including Brigadier General Ahmad Awad Hassan al-Marmi, the army's chief of staff in Abyan.[8]: 10  Somali told Asharq al-Awsat in an interview that reinforcements and supplies for the 25th Mechanized Brigade were yet to have arrived, as the militants had repeatedly ambushed army convoys heading to eastwards to the brigade on the road from Aden.[49][15]: 281  More than 100 militants were believed to have been killed in July alone.[62]

By August, most fighting took place at night due to the sweltering heat during the day.[15]: 282  Zinjibar was being contested by the 119th Infantry Brigade from the west and the 25th Mechanized Brigade from the east,[64] the latter being limited to defensive clashes for most of the month as they were still under siege at their base.[18] Fighting took place early in the month between the 119th Infantry Brigade and militants in al-Khamila, with the 39th Armoured Brigade being deployed to provide artillery support from Dofas, though the unit soon had to fend off attacks against their base.[8]: 10  Local officials reported that Predator drones had conducted air raids targeting multiple areas in Zinjibar, including al-Khamila and Amodiah neighbourhoods as well as the the al-Wahda Stadium, on 1 August, killing 15 militants and destroying seized army equipment.[65] The local tribes had announced their rejoining of the offensive, with an official confirming that tribal fighters had returned to their positions surrounding the city, some aiding the 25th Mechanized Brigade in the east.[66][64] Despite the resumption in support, the Jamestown Foundation had wrote by 12 August that "only slight progress can be reported... though some progress has been made on halting reinforcements from reaching [Ansar al-Sharia]."[8]: 11 

Heavy clashes involving the 201st Mechanized Brigade took place in Dofas in late August,[67] with militants launching at least five attacks on government forces there from 20 to 27 August,[68] including a 23 August attack on the 201st Mechanized Brigade base which killed seven soldiers and a 27 August ambush on army units attempting to reach the 25th Mechanized Brigade.[69] From 25 August until the end of the month, fighting in the area left a reported 40 militants and 23 soldiers dead according to FDD's Long War Journal.[70] AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi was rumoured to have been among those killed, though this was later disproved.[67] By the end of the month, the army had secured Dofas, al-Kawd and al-Matla on Zinjibar's outskirts, as well as the road linking it to Aden.[71]

A destroyed residential area in Zinjibar, September 2011

From the start of September, advances by government forces towards the city were reported on multiple fronts. The 201st Mechanized Brigade and 119th Infantry Brigade pushed eastwards and recaptured the al-Wahda Stadium, linked up with the 25th Mechanized Brigade at their base, and secured the nearby Husn Shaddad neighbourhood.[72] The advance came amid a barrage of US airstrikes from 31 August to 1 September which left nearly 30 militants dead and freed the 25th Mechanized Brigade's base from militant pressure.[70] Other army units were approximately five kilometers south from Zinjibar after capturing al-Kawd. An AQAP-linked source confirmed that the military was beginning to enter southern Zinjibar.[72] Government forces had seized the main entrances to the city and were beginning to advance.[73]

On 10 September, forces from the 119th Infantry Brigade, 201st Mechanized Brigade and 31st Armoured Brigade, as well as allied tribesmen, launched a coordinated push into Zinjibar.[74][15]: 282  The militant siege on the 25th Mechanized Brigade was lifted, while more than 2,000 soldiers[75] moved in on and secured the eastern portion of the city, capturing areas including the local CSF base.[74] Facing a deluge of army reinforcements, AQAP military commander Qasim al-Raymi ordered most of the militants in Zinjibar to retreat into the mountains by Jaar, leading to the army fighting "only token resistance" during their advance.[15]: 282  Despite government statements celebrating the end of the battle and the liberation of the Zinjibar, fighting would continue to take place.[74] Major clashes later broke out on 14 September leaving 12 militants and two civilians dead. Peace negotiations had stalled as Ansar al-Sharia rejected an offer for their total withdrawal in exchange for security forces refraining from pursuing them.[76]

Continued fighting (October 2011 – February 2012)

[edit]
The central market of Zinjibar, October 2011

The army launched an offensive targeting the northern Bajdar neighbourhood of Zinjibar at the beginning of October.[77][78] While the 201st Mechanized Brigade made several advances,[79] a Yemeni aircraft mistakenly bombed a school occupied by the 119th Infantry Brigade, which was followed by a militant attack. At least 30 soldiers in the school were confirmed to be dead by the Red Crescent, though the government denied any friendly fire.[80] By 5 October, the army had reportedly advanced to control the eastern and central parts of Zinjibar, while the militants occupied the remaining areas, including the northern areas bordering Jaar.[79] An airstrike the same day struck an AQAP hideout in al-Arqoub, east of Zinjibar, killing five militants.[81] Later in the month, reports emerged of the militants forcing the 39th Armoured Brigade to withdraw to the outskirts of the city after an attack on their local outpost, regaining control of some areas in Zinjibar.[82]

More than 38 militants were reportedly killed in the first two weeks of November.[83] A security official said that fighting in Zinjibar was now more scattered and akin to a guerilla war, as the militants "do not have the manpower anymore to clash for continuous days as was the case two months ago."[84] Heavy fighting broke out in the city in mid-November, with the army launching artillery shelling at the local government headquarters and the offices of the internal security agency which killed multiple foreign fighters.[85] Ansar al-Sharia was reportedly regrouping during November due to persistent raids on houses in the city.[86] Outside of the city, Ansar al-Sharia launched an attack on al-Kawd, seizing the entire city and forcing the army to retreat to Dofas.[87][88]

A street corner in Zinjibar, December 2011

Residents noticed significant militant reinforcements arriving in the city during December. On 7 December, the militants attempted a nighttime raid on an army post east of Zinjibar but failed, leaving nine fighters and a single soldiers dead.[89] Fierce clashes broke out across the city on 17 December in an Ansar al-Sharia offensive, leaving seven militants three soldiers dead and four army vehicles destroyed during the day.[86] By 26 December, at least 60 people, including 23 soldiers, had been killed. Clashes took place in the northern and eastern areas of Zinjibar, with army units reportedly advancing on some militant-controlled areas.[90] Amidst the fighting, a US drone strike killed Abdulrahman al-Wuhayshi, a relative of Nasir al-Wuhayshi.[91] Stories published by visiting Western journalists at the end of the year described most of the city, including its center and the northern and eastern entrance points, as still being mostly under Ansar al-Sharia control, and the battle being akin to a stalemate.[9][30]

Clashes took place throughout January 2012 in the northern and eastern outskirts of Zinjibar.[92][93][94] Returning residents found that control remained divided between the army in the east and the militants in the west, the two in some areas being separated by only meters.[95][96] By February, with military options seemingly exhausted, the government reathourized tribal mediation in hopes of a negotiated militant withdrawal similar to than in Radda the month before. A ceasefire was reportedly agreed upon by both parties on 4 February for the upcoming presidential elections, but this was denied by Ansar al-Sharia as clashes broke out the same day.[97] The three days preceding the election saw an increase in attacks on local army positions. Ansar al-Sharia then attempted to push into the eastern suburbs of Zinjibar on 20 February, but were fought back by the 201st Mechanized Brigade.[98]

Re-escalation (March–May 2012)

[edit]
See also: Battle of Dofas

The political crisis in Yemen was alleviated with the appointment of Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi as President on 25 February, replacing the ousted Saleh. During his inauguration speech, Hadi said that defeating AQAP would be a top priority for his government.[99] As he set out on reorganizing the divided military, one of his first decisions was to dismiss General Mahdi Maqula from his position as Southern Military Region commander. Maqula, who oversaw operations in Zinjibar, was criticized within the military for obstructing efforts to reinforce the army.[32] After the military announced plans to intensify the fight in Zinjibar, Ansar al-Sharia declared a campaign of attacks against the government, and gave the military a 10-day ultimatum to withdraw.[100]

An army technical looted by militants during the Dofas attack

On 4 March, Ansar al-Sharia launched a major surprise attack on military positions near Zinjibar. The 39th Armoured Brigade artillery base at the al-Alam checkpoint at Dofas was raided and occupied in an early morning assault, while the 115th and 119th Infantry Brigade's held out for hours at their outposts in al-Kawd until reinforcements from Aden had arrived.[100] A staggering defeat, 185 soldiers were killed in the assault and droves of army equipment was looted, while the estimated total casualty figure of 400 effectively neutralized an entire brigade's worth of troops.[101] Accusations emerged of Maqula, a Saleh loyalist, secretly supplying equipment to Ansar al-Sharia as he resisted orders to step down until he finally did so on the day of the attack.[32] Upon being asked on how the attack proved to be so lethal, Colonel Ali Saleh Kardah of the 115th Infantry Brigade said "It's simple: The soldiers in Abyan have been on the front lines for months, zero morale, zero interest... We don't have a professional army."[102]

Maqula's replacement, Major General Salem Ali Qatan, headed a renewed bombing campaign against the militants from 9 March onwards in response to the attack which "reflect improved communication and intelligence under the new commander" according to officials.[32] On 18 March 2012, the Yemeni Navy reportedly conducted strikes on northeastern Zinjibar, killing 16 militants.[103] Four days later, an alleged joint US-Yemeni naval bombardment on the city left 29 militants dead.[104]

Efforts to combat Ansar al-Sharia escalated across Abyan as pro-government forces fended off a militant assault on the city of Lawdar in early April. On 20 April, an official statement reported that the army had advanced on and secured a district on the outskirts of Zinjibar while killing 25 militants. Ansar al-Sharia acknowledged a "massive offensive by Sanaa regime forces", but maintained that they still controlled most areas.[105] Yemeni forces advanced deeper towards the center of Zinjibar after a six-hour battle which ended on 24 April.[106] Multiple government buildings were secured, including the local post office, while heavy fighting continued to take place in the southern and eastern outskirts of the city.[107] Ansar al-Sharia denied the army's progress.[108] On 8 May, another attack in Dofas and al-Kawd, targeting the 2nd Infantry Battalion and the Artillery Battalion of the 115th Infantry Brigade, left dozens of soldiers dead and captured, a day after a US drone strike killed AQAP leader Fahd al-Quso.[2]

Final offensive (12 May – 12 June 2012)

[edit]
Main article: 2012 Abyan offensive

On 12 May, the Yemeni government began an all-out offensive, codenamed Operation Golden Swords,[109] to recapture Zinjibar and other areas occupied by Ansar al-Sharia in Abyan Governorate. Nearly 20,000 military personnel were involved in the operation, including the air force and navy.[7] The offensive involved government forces executing a crescent-shaped advance on Zinjibar.[37] On 13 May, government forces reached the Shaddad Fort, around three kilometers east of Zinjibar, and Zinjibar Bridge, just one kilometer south of it.[110] By mid-May the army had reached the center of Zinjibar but "did not outright control it", with air force helicopters flying over the city for the first time since its seizure, indicating that the militants had lost their anti-air capabilities.[37] A commanding officer said that "The army is deployed at the entrances of the city. It advances during the day and tactically retreats at night out of fear of terrorist attacks."[111] Army forces were "moving slowly along the outskirts of... Zinjibar, trying to avoid being out-flanked",[112] though the offensive in general had stalled in part due to poor intelligence on the status of the militants.[113]

Resolve to defeat Ansar al-Sharia was increased following a suicide bombing in Sanaa on 21 May which killed nearly 100 soldiers. Government forces advanced into and secured several parts of the central and northern neighborhoods of Zinjibar, including a stadium and government buildings on 23 May.[114] Further advances were made on 26 May, with the 25th Mechanized Brigade capturing the northeastern neighbourhoods of Maraqid and Mashqasa, while killing 20 militants and seizing their equipment.[115] By end of the month, the 25th Mechanized Brigade, 39th Armoured Brigade and local Popular Committees had managed to recapture all militant-held positions in the east of Zinjibar. 62 militants, including Somali foreign fighters, were believed to have been killed in the fighting, while dozens were wounded and many more fled. The 135th Infantry Brigade had also made significant advances towards Jaar.[116]

As Yemeni forces made inroads into central Zinjibar, Ansar al-Sharia attempted to attack army positions at the Central Bank and other government institutions on 3 June. Clashes in the central streets lasted for two hours and resulted in the army successfully repelling the militants, killing six while losing two soldiers.[35][117] A 25th Mechanized Brigade officer said that "The army is controlling most of Zinjibar's outskirts" but not its center, as it was still attempting to secure the remaining northwestern entrances to the city to "cut it off from Jaar and Shaqra."[118] Ansar al-Sharia began to increasingly utilize suicide bombers to impede the offensive as it progressed. On 4 June, two bombers had attempted to attack army positions east of the city, but were stopped and only managed to kill four tribal fighters.[119] Later in the day, Yemeni forces killed at least 23 militants entering from northern Zinjibar and from the southeast in al-Kawd.[120][119]

Ansar al-Sharia's control of the region began to break down after seizure of the strategically located 7 October ammunition factory in Jaar on 11 June. After bombarding the town through the night, Yemeni forces moved in, and had secured Jaar by dawn on 12 June.[109] By then, Ansar al-Sharia had completely withdrew from the city. Later in the morning, the army and Popular Committees moved in on and captured the rest of Zinjibar in a large-scale offensive.[121] Final clashes for control over the city left 10 militants dead,[122] but were relatively less intense as most militants had gone to reinforce Jaar earlier in the day.[109] Abyan's governor said that 200 to 300 militants had fled Zinjibar and Jaar to the remaining areas under their control, notably Shuqrah and Azzan in Shabwah. Ansar al-Sharia confirmed that it had withdrew, stating that they had done so in order to avoid further destruction in the area, and vowed revenge against the government.[122] Senior government officials toured the city the next day in a confirmation of the victory.[121]

Foreign involvement

[edit]

Upon the conclusion of the July–September offensive in 2011, the Yemeni embassy in Washington, D.C., thanked the United States and Saudi Arabia for their assistance during the battle.[75] President Saleh stated that Yemeni forces in Zinjibar had received "cooperation and information" from the US and "logistic support" from Saudi Arabia.[74]

United States

[edit]

American officials had been monitoring the situation in Zinjibar since the early stages of the battle. Even prior to their takeover of Abyan, the US had viewed AQAP as the most dangerous branch of al-Qaeda globally since its attempts to attack the US mainland in previous years. Through the collapse of security in Abyan, the government feared that AQAP could consolidate control in the area through Ansar al-Sharia and use it as a base of operations for further attacks on the US.[19]

Viewing it as one of the few ways to limit the group's rapid expansion, the US military resumed covert airstrikes against AQAP, which had started in 2009 but were suspended the year after.[123] The US launched at least six unilateral airstrikes on Zinjibar in 2011.[124] These operations, conducted by the military's Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as well as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) starting in September, utilized cruise missiles, fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles,[8]: 10 [81] and were independent of the Yemeni military.[16]: 464  Several top officials, including President Barack Obama and homeland security advisor John Brennan, were intent on specifically targeting AQAP operatives involved in attacks on the US, viewing airstrikes on Ansar al-Sharia, a local insurgent group, as tantamount to involving the US in Yemen's own war against al-Qaeda.[15]: 279–280  A proposal from US Central Command head James Mattis to launch an air raid on militants near the al-Wahda Stadium was rejected due to many intended targets being Ansar al-Sharia figures involved only in the local conflict.[16]: 464  Despite this, The Washington Institute noted instances during the battle which veered into "intervention on the regime's behalf."[18]

As Ansar al-Sharia continued to maintain its siege on the 25th Mechanized Brigade, the US Air Force eventually began airdropping supplies, including food, water, and medical provisions, to its base as the rest of the Yemeni army was unable to reach them.[16]: 464  [17] Deputy information minister Abdo al-Janadi confirmed the brigade's receival of airdrops during a press conference on 22 July 2011.[60] Somali corroborated this, and stated that there was an "active partnership" between the US and Yemeni forces on the ground. According to him, the US would share real-time drone intelligence on militant positions in Zinjibar with local army forces, who would then target the locations with artillery shelling and airstrikes.[16]: 464  The final push to lift the siege on the 25th Mechanized Brigade in September was influenced by American pressure on the Yemeni government.[15]: 282  That month, a US official told FDD's Long War Journal that "We continue to provide counterterrorism aid, intelligence, and logistical support to Yemeni forces" in regards to the fight against Ansar al-Sharia.[70]

Upon reports of naval strikes on Zinjibar in March 2012, analyst Bill Roggio noted that the Yemeni Navy was incapable of such attacks on land targets as it only possessed anti-ship missiles, suggesting that it had been the work of US Navy warships if true. He also noted that the airstrikes were now targeting low-level Ansar al-Sharia fighters as opposed to AQAP leaders, claiming that "the US appears to be directly intervening in Yemen's civil war with AQAP."[103] An official from the Fifth Fleet denied any American naval involvement in the conflict.[104]

With Saleh's removal from office and the US government seeking to demonstrate its support for President Hadi,[125] Operation Golden Swords received overt support from the US, described by Yemeni military personnel as "the most direct American involvement yet". Around 60 US soldiers were assigned to the al-Anad Air Base in Lahij Governorate, approximately 65 kilometers from the fighting in Abyan, to operate a long-term joint command center with Yemeni forces which would coordinate the offensive and independently monitor drone strikes. The offensive itself was being overseen by both the Yemeni defense minister as well as an unidentified US military general.[37] Witnesses in Abyan reported both US drones and navy vessels on the coast launching strikes on militant positions during the offensive.[111]

Saudi Arabia

[edit]

Along with the US, Saudi Arabia gave similar concern to the rise of Ansar al-Sharia, owing to AQAP's previous interest in attacking the Kingdom as well as Zinjibar's strategic position on the Gulf of Aden. The Saudi Air Force collaborated with their American counterparts in airdropping supplies to the besieged 25th Mechanized Brigade.[17] Furthermore, the Saudis began launching airstrikes against the militants in order to assist in breaking the siege in August 2011, and levied diplomatic pressure upon alongside the US until the siege was broken in September.[15]: 281–282  Saudi Arabia also aided Operation Golden Swords with money for the Yemeni government which was used to buy the allegiance of numerous tribes in Abyan to fight Ansar al-Sharia alongside the army.[125]

Casualties

[edit]

The official number of total casualties during the battle are unknown. Analyst Michael Knights wrote "a conservative estimate would be around 500–700 government troops and Popular Committee fighters killed, plus an unknown number of civilians and Ansar al-Sharia fighters."[11] Time magazine claimed that "unofficial estimates" within the military put the figure at as many as 1,000 soldiers. Speaking to Time, Major General Nasser al-Taheri, who replaced Qatan as commander of the Southern Military Region, said that at least 600 Ansar al-Sharia militants out of a total of 3,000 were killed, several of them high-ranking commanders.[12]

The official Saba News Agency reported on 11 September 2011, a day after the conclusion of the July–September offensive, that more than 280[126] pro-government forces were killed and 600 were wounded since the fighting began in May.[13] Of those killed, around 230 were army soldiers from the Southern Military Region, of whom 90 were from the 25th Mechanized Brigade, while the other 50 were tribal fighters supporting the army.[126] Over 300 Ansar al-Sharia militants were believed to have been killed,[127] with then-vice president Hadi telling European diplomats that 30 were leaders in the group.[126] By the end of December, official figures put the total number of soldiers killed at around 270, and the number of militants at more than 400 according to local officials.[128]

According to an Agence France-Presse tally composed of multiple sources within the government, 485 people were killed in Operation Golden Swords from its inauguration on 12 May 2012 until the liberation of Zinjibar on 12 June. The total included 368 Ansar al-Sharia militants, 72 army soldiers, 26 Popular Committee fighters, and 19 civilians. The total included fighting not only in Zinjibar, but all of Abyan.[129]

Humanitarian impact

[edit]
A returning civilian sitting next to a destroyed building in Zinjibar, January 2012.

The intense fighting in Zinjibar led to nearly of its residents deserting it. The few who stayed in the city were often men guarding their or their families property from looters.[19][14] More than 90,000 people were believed to have been displaced by the conflict.[130][131] Some had "camped under trees in rural areas outside the city",[25] while many others wound up in the nearby governorates of Aden and Lahij, occupying schools as makeshift refugee camps.[96][132] The government estimated that more than 65% of the people displaced by the conflict were living in schools in Aden.[128]

Around 20 to 30 people slept in each classroom, and lived off of food donated by local charities.[132] Shortages had been reported in electricity, food, water, and sleeping amenities in many schools.[96][133] Displaced residents reported receiving minimal assistance from the government, which was instead supplemented by help from the local opposition movement and humanitarian agencies.[25][131] Most had taken only what they could carry on themselves, in some cases with nothing at all.[9][132]

In mid-January 2012, around 2,500 displaced residents returned to Zinjibar in a vehicular convoy agreed upon by both Ansar al-Sharia and the Yemeni government.[96][95] The residents were welcomed by the militants in a festival and were allowed to visit the main city, which was held by Ansar al-Sharia, and other nearby areas before returning to Aden.[134]

Destruction

[edit]

War photographer Yuri Kozyrev compared the destruction in Zinjibar to that of Grozny during the First Chechen War.[12] Writing for Foreign Policy, journalist Adam Baron described the state of the city as "apocalyptic" during his tour, with nearly every building destroyed.[135] Local authorities estimated that around 80% of homes in the city were in some way damaged during the battle.[136] Multiple residential areas were completely destroyed; one in Bajdar neighbourhood was damaged so catastrophically that returning civilians had nicknamed it "Fallujah", in reference to the Iraqi city.[137][138] A United Nations team assessed a "total destruction of infrastructure" in the city a month after its recapture.[139] Most government headquarters, offices, and institutions also sustained damage,[140] including the newly built main government complex for Abyan. The water and power supply network of the city was disabled.[141] The power network in particular suffered damages leaving lasting effects by 2020.[142]

Analysis

[edit]

Context within the Yemeni revolution

[edit]

Within the context of the then-ongoing revolution, the seizure of Zinjibar provoked suspicion that the government had willfully or intentionally let the city fall. The army's quick abandonment of the city to the militants led to accusations that Saleh had ordered security forces to withdraw and let the militants capture it.[41] A number of commentators claimed that the militants were working for the Saleh regime;[143][20] some Saleh supporters had even joined the militants believing them to be backed by the government.[14] Analyst Ali Dahmis claimed that Saleh had allowed Zinjibar to fall in order to shift attention from his loss of control over Sanaa,[144] where open street fighting was taking place at the time of its seizure.[19] Political analyst Abdul Ghani al-Iryani questioned the absence of counterterrorism units normally stationed in the area who could have easily defended the city, believing that "if AQAP was strong enough to take control of an entire governorate, they would have done so much sooner."[145] Gen. Somali, who led the only army brigade which remained to defend the city, stated in an interview:

God bless our colleagues in the Public Security, Police, and Central Security who pulled out of the governorate and left behind all their military equipment and munitions as a gift for al-Qaeda elements... I do not want to go too far and accuse my colleagues of complicity with al-Qaeda against us and I do not cast doubt about them... but we can say that it is cowardice and fear that filled them after the governor, his deputies, and directors of departments left Zinjibar.[8]

Opposition figures and analysts suspected that Saleh had let the city fall in an attempt to convince the US and neighbouring countries that he was needed in power in order to deal with the threat and prevent a complete AQAP takeover, thus saving his faltering regime.[122][146][9] Saleh's government was known to have previously utilized and exaggerate the threat of al-Qaeda, and in some cases collude the group, in order to receive increased aid and attention from the US government.[41] Saleh himself warned the US and Europe in a televised speech prior to the takeover of Zinjibar that 'al-Qaeda is coming and it will take control,' and that the 'future will be worse than the present' if he were to resign.[147] Iryani said in February 2012 that Saleh "ordered his police force to evacuate the city and turn it over to the militants because he wanted to send a signal to the world that, without me, Yemen will fall into the hands of the terrorists."[4] Former defense minister Abdullah Ali Alewa claimed that the move was in order to "frighten people that if he goes, Yemen will become Somalia."[41] A group of pro-opposition army generals, led by Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, released a statement in which they stated that Saleh "delivered Zinjibar to groups that he has formed and armed, to continue to utilize the spectre of al-Qaeda to frighten regional and international parties."[148] Southern Movement figure Ali Nasir Muhammad viewed the Ansar al-Sharia seizure as facilitated by the government in order to tarnish the reputation of the secular separatists.[8]

Opposing allegiances between different army brigades participating in the battle led to internal conflicts.[149] The besieged 25th Mechanized Brigade was considered to be a close ally of the pro-opposition Gen. Ahmar,[8] along with the 119th Infantry Brigade.[74] Meanwhile, two other units participating in the battle, the 31st Armoured Brigade and the 201st Mechanized Brigade, were still loyal to Saleh.[74] Gen. Mahdi Maqula, a close ally of Saleh who was the commander of the 31st Armoured Brigade and the entire Southern Military Region, was accused by military officers of hindering the delivery of supplies to army forces fighting in the south. After taking helm of the government, one of Hadi's first decisions as president was to replace Maqula with Gen. Salem Ali Qatan in both of his roles.[32]

Strategic significance

[edit]

Zinjibar lies east of the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, through which about three million barrels of oil pass daily.[150] The city also lies upon the only road connecting the city of Aden to the rest of Abyan Governorate.[151] Aden itself is located approximately 50 kilometers west of Zinjibar.[152] If Ansar al-Sharia were to win the battle for Zinjibar, Aden would have likely been its next target, with the former acting as a staging ground.[9] Multiple AQAP leaders claimed that Aden would be the groups next target after Zinjibar.[14][151] Analyst Katherine Zimmerman of Critical Threats wrote on matter:

Should Ansar al Sharia defeat the Yemeni military in Zinjibar, Abyan would become a staging ground for an offensive to take the strategic city of Aden. The fall of Aden raises the possibility of the fall of the south, which will have resounding effects on the future of the Yemeni state. Al Qaeda would gain relative freedom of movement from the Arabian Sea to the Saudi border, significantly increasing the risk of an attack on an international or Saudi oil target, and could erect a form of an Islamist government in its territories. The Yemeni state would not only lose its southern port city of Aden, but would also lose revenues from southern oil. Should the Yemeni military or some other actor fail to halt al Qaeda's advance, there is the very real prospect that al Qaeda could establish an Islamic emirate in south Yemen.[56]

By June 2011, "noticeable movements" of Ansar al-Sharia militants were recorded in several areas of Aden Governorate, including Khor Maksar and al-Mansoura districts. Two officers from the 31st Armoured Brigade were assassinated by car bombings during the month, while Gen. Madhi Maqula survived an assassination attempt at his house.[153] The attacks grew increasingly bolder over time;[26] a suicide car bombing killed four soldiers and civilian in al-Mansoura district on 24 June,[154] while a similar attack on 24 July killed 9 soldiers in a convoy heading to reinforce the army at Zinjibar.[155]

The intensification of attacks in Aden drew the attention of the government.[33] On 3 July 2011, the Ministry of Defense admitted that a number of militants had infiltrated Aden, and announced that it would deploy a security belt around the city.[57] The deployment of the 31st Armoured Brigade to participate in the battle in August was seen as a reaction to the threat to Aden, though the operation was more so done to prevent further Ansar al-Sharia advances towards Aden rather than recapturing its territory in Abyan. The July–September offensive succeeded in establishing a front line that prevented the spread southward of the insurgency.[33]

Aftermath

[edit]

2015–2016 fall and recapture

[edit]
Main article: Fall of Zinjibar and Jaar

Al-Qaeda's fighters stormed Jaar and Zinjibar in early December 2015 and recaptured the towns,[156] later declaring them "Emirates", providing civilian services, and establishing a Sharia court. In summer 2016 Yemeni government forces backed by Arab coalition aircraft and gunboats moved to retake the towns, and despite encountering "repeated suicide attacks" drove AQAP out of Zinjibar on 14 August 2016.[157]

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