Shabwa elite forces raid terror hideouts in the province

Shabwa elite forces over the past two days have ramped up their pursuit of extremist militants, with security operations taking place in separate districts of the province.

The UAE-trained forces on Thursday (January 3rd) raided a terror hideout in the province's al-Saeed district, arresting several militants, the Shabwa elite forces' morale guidance and media unit in al-Saeed said in a statement.

"Acting on intelligence tip-offs, our forces on Thursday raided a terrorist hideout in al-Shaaba village in Yashbum Valley," the statement said, noting that the forces were met with no resistance.

"Our forces suffered no human or material losses in the operation," it said.

The elite forces, commanded by Maj. Ahmed Muhsen al-Suleimani, were supported by a team specialised in conducting raids and disposing of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), it said.

They seized a number of IEDs, explosives and other items used by the terror elements in carrying out attacks against civilians and the security forces.

"Such items will serve as clues to identify other [terror] elements," the statement said.

The elite forces said they would continue to crack down on terror elements and those who collaborate with them, urging locals to report any suspected movement to the nearest elite forces position or to any of their hotlines.

'Necessary security measures'

In a separate incident, Shabwa elite forces early Friday morning raided the home of a suspected al-Qaeda member in Markha, western Shabwa province, local media reported.

The elite forces called on the militant to surrender but he opened fire instead, which led to clashes that killed seven militants and the commander of the joint forces of the Shabwa elite forces, Jalal bin Ajaj.

"The terrorists in Shabwa province have been, and still are, the most dangerous extremist elements, as they threaten Yemen’s vital and economic facilities," said political analyst Adnan al-Humairi.

The elite forces' pre-emptive efforts are necessary security measures to "eliminate terrorism and al-Qaeda elements", and are part of the war on terror, he told Al-Mashareq.

The recent successes of the elite forces mark "the start of victories in 2019 as part of the general counter-terrorism efforts", said al-Humairi, adding that this may expose other terror plots that aim to disrupt security and stability.