Senior Yemeni Security Commander Killed in Suspected al-Qaida Ambush
A senior commander of Yemen’s pro-government Security Belt Forces was killed in an ambush on Sunday in the southern province of Abyan. Col. Hussein Rabidh, the commander of the Security Belt Forces in the Mudiyah district, was attacked in an ambush believed to have been carried out by suspected al-Qaida fighters.
The ambush led to the deaths of Col. Rabidh and two of his bodyguards at the scene. The Security Belt Forces, part of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), are aligned with the Yemeni government and play a key role in the ongoing fight against Houthi forces.
This holiday season, give to:
Truth and understanding
The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.
They all said they cover it.
We see it.
We report with just one agenda: the truth.
Following the ambush, clashes erupted between security forces and the suspected attackers, resulting in the deaths of three al-Qaida fighters and injuries to two others.
This attack comes just two days after a deadly suicide car bombing, claimed by al-Qaida, targeted an STC military barracks in Abyan. That bombing left 16 soldiers dead and 18 others injured.
Abyan province, located along Yemen’s southern coastline, has become a battleground between al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and Yemeni pro-government forces, who are attempting to expel the terrorist group. Despite ongoing counterterrorism efforts, al-Qaida has exploited the civil war and political instability to strengthen its presence, particularly in the south.
