Today, Yemen’s Armed Forces and patriotic citizens recaptured Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, previously occupied by militants and insurgents with close links to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Additionally, the nine-week long military campaign was able to break the three-month siege of the 25^thMechanized Brigade situated south of Zinjibar.

Al-Qaeda took advantage of the turmoil in Yemen and seized towns and cities in the strategic province of Abyan. Most of those territories are now under the control of the Yemeni Army. Special Forces will continue to sweep in and secure the city of Zinjibar, in addition to the other recaptured towns. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States government provided logistical support during the ongoing operations.

Finally, we wish to pay a tribute to our fallen heroes. We honor those who fought and made the ultimate sacrifice in the ongoing war on terrorism in Yemen. The following is a list of units that took part in this operation:

Special Forces Command

Air Forces Command

Naval Operations Command

201^st Mechanized Brigade

119^th Infantry Brigade

39^th Mechanized Brigade

31^st Armored Brigade

25^th Mechanized Brigade 

Spokesman, Mohammed Albasha