![A fighter loyal to Yemen's President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi holds a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) as he guards a position in Shabwa, east of the Red Sea port of Aden, on December 21st, 2015. [Saleh al-Obeidi/AFP]](/cnmi_am/images/2017/08/07/9099-Yemen-Shabwa-soldier-700_496.webp)
Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch has retreated from an oil-rich southern province in the face of an assault by elite Shabwa forces, a senior military official said Monday (August 7th).
The elite force, trained by the UAE, on Thursday (August 3rd) launched a "major operation" against the terrorists in Shabwa province, AFP reported.
The group retreated from the province with no major clashes, the military official said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the press.
The terrorists appear to have moved even further south into neighbouring Abyan province.
Residents of an Abyan town near the Shabwa border said they counted at least 45 cars carrying armed Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants through their district.
AQAP has exploited Yemen's war to expand its presence in the country's south.
Shabwa has been the site of AQAP attacks in recent months, with the Yemen government reporting seven soldiers killed there in a suicide attack last week.
Shabwa residents support offensive
The deployment of elite Shabwa forces received widespread support by local residents as they hope the offensive will secure their province, Yemeni media reported.
"We welcome the elite forces and assure them that we support them and shall stand as one in maintaining security," said Mayfaa directorate head Abdullah Baouda.
"We thank coalition countries, primarily the UAE, as they have supported and trained the elite forces and taken on the historic effort to secure the province from terrorists," he said.
You, sons of a Jewish woman deceive those who had originally purchased you with cheap prices! You have no minds!
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