| Shabwah campaign (March–August 2015) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theYemeni Civil War (2014–present) and theShabwah Governorate offensive (2014–2016) | |||||||
 Shabwah Governorate | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Air support:  AQAP[6] | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 152 killed | 43 killed | ||||||
TheShabwah campaign (March–August 2015) was a campaign for control of theShabwah Governorate ofYemen, between theHouthis andYemen Army units loyal toAli Abdullah Saleh on one side, and militiamen andYemen Army units loyal toAbdrabbuh Mansur Hadi on the other side. The offensive was also launched during a previously started AQAPoffensive.
On 29 March 2015, fighting centered in the oil-richUsaylan region. 38 fighters were killed in clashes between the Houthis and Sunni tribesmen. Tribal sources confirmed the death toll, and claimed only eight of them were from their side, with the other 30 either Houthis or their allies from the Yemeni military. The tribesmen were also reinforced by weapons received via 200 vehicles from tribes in the nearby province ofAbyan.[7] After the fighting, Houthi positions were hit by Coalition air-strikes.[8]
On 1 April, fighting at a major army base left 35 Houthi and allied army fighters, along with 20 tribesmen, dead.[9]
On 6 April, the Houthis were reported to be negotiating with local tribes for safe transit toAtaq, the provincial capital.[10] However, additional fighting on the same day killed two Houthi fighters, while another eight were killed in an airstrike.[11] Two days later, 10 Houthis, three Houthi-allied soldiers and three tribesmen were killed in further clashes.[12][13]
On 9 April, air-strikes hit the Houthi-held Muhra base, outside Ataq, after which the Houthis and their allies seized government and police installations in the city. Soon, hundreds of armed tribesmen mobilised on the outskirts of Ataq to attack the Houthis.[14] Still, the Houthi capture of the provincial capital was reportedly facilitated by local tribal chiefs and security officials.[15]
On 10 April, 25 Houthi fighters were killed in a suicide car-bomb attack, carried out byAl-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), on their security post in theBayhan region.[6] As is the case in the neighboringAbyan Governorate,[16] it was reported that AQAP fighters were ordered to fight alongside pro-Hadi forces against the Houthis.[6]
On 13 April, pro-Hadi tribal militia took control of two military bases belonging to units that were guarding oil facilities in the Belhaf area.[17][18] 15 soldiers stationed at one base were killed.[19]
On 19 April, seven Houthis were killed in clashes in the province.[20]
On 25 May, 17 Houthi and 11 tribal fighters were killed in fighting in Ataq.[21]
At the end of May, the Houthis captured the city ofSaeed, after a number of tribes in the area switched allegiance.[22]
On 11 August, after the Pro-Hadi forces recaptured the governorates ofAden,Lahij,Dhale andAbyan they will launch an offensive to retakeShabwah Governorate, the last Southern governorate with a Houthi rebel presence.[23]
On 15 August, pro-Hadi forces regained control of the entire Shabwah Governorate, including the city ofAtaq, after Houthi forces and their allies withdrew from the region.[24]
On 15 December 2017, the Yemen National Army from the 19th Infantry, 21st Mika, and 26th Infantry Brigades along with the Southern Resistance launched an offensive to take control of several sites in Bayhan and Usaylan, the last Houthis stronghold in Shabwa Governorate.[25]
On 24 December 2017, the Yemen National Army completely captured Bayhan and Usaylan district.[26]
On October 17, 2021 Houthi forces captured theUsaylan,Bayhan, andAin districts of Shabwah Governorate during theBattle of Marib.[27]
On January 26, 2022, Hadi government forces including theGiants Brigades recaptured the districts from Houthi rebel forces.[28][29] In one 24-hour period at the start of the offensive, more than 125 Houthis and 70 pro-Hadi fighters were killed in the fighting.[30]
On August 10, 2022, the Governor of Shabwah was reported to have announced the start of an operation to restore stability.[31]
