The Yemeni army has been in an open war with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) since late April. The latter had launched direct attacks in April in the provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, in the south of the country. The army started its battle at the beginning of last month under the slogan, “Together for a Yemen free of terrorism,” in what could be considered the largest and most comprehensive attack led by the Yemeni army against al-Qaeda. The jihadists had taken advantage of the weakening of the state since 2011 to control several areas and remote towns.

The defense minister and head of national security personally oversaw the battle, in what could be considered as a new, rare and serious step by the Yemeni government to confront al-Qaeda. With the start of the battle, Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi gave a televised speech announcing that more than 70% of AQAP members were non-Yemenis. It was an attempt to “Yemenize” the war and mobilize domestic opinion to support the war. He largely succeeded in that, especially given the semi-hidden role — at least in the beginning — of US drones throughout the battles. Yemeni public opinion responded, standing by the army as it came to be perceived as a Yemeni war, not a war fought on behalf of foreign powers, more precisely the United States. 

The latest round of clashes started after Yemeni army officials paid a visit to Washington at the beginning of April. But the Yemeni public still saw the war as legitimate. Over past months, AQAP has conducted several operations targeting Yemeni civilians, such as the al-Aridi hospital attack in which more than 50 civilians were killed. The attacks fueled popular anger against al-Qaeda, and prepared the public mood for a potential Yemeni military operation against al-Qaeda. 

In an interview with Al-Monitor, a senior military official said that the latest fighting was the result of Yemen wanting to take the lead against al-Qaeda. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Yemen officially asked Washington to review its drone strikes policy. The same source said that Yemeni army officials have become increasingly aware of the danger posed by al-Qaeda, which has assassinated dozens of army officers and carried out dozens of attacks in Yemen over the past months. According to the same source, the army found many documents in Abyan and Shabwa that revealed al-Qaeda’s war plans and financial details.