Battles in Abyan leave dozens of dead, wounded

ABYAN, Aug. 24 (YPA) – Violent confrontations erupted, on Tuesday, between the armed factions loyal to Saudi-led coalition in Abyan province, southern Yemen.

This coincided with the start of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) a large-scale military operation to uproot Islah Party and its other opponents from the southern components.

Military sources confirmed that confrontations erupted between the STC forces and the Islah factions in Qarn al-Klasi area.

The sources reported that dozens of militants of both sides were killed and wounded, during the first hours of the outbreak of battles in the area, noting that Emirati aircraft continued to fly in the central areas of the province.

The confrontations come in the wake of the UAE-backed STC factions’ announcement of a large-scale military operation in Abyan, similar to the battles of Shabwa and Hadramout, amid expectations of an expansion of clashes in all districts of the province, which is the last stronghold of Islah.

YPA