Battle of Dofas

Last updated
Battle of Dofas
Part of Yemeni Crisis (2011-present)
Date4–5 March 2012
Location
Dofas, Abyan Governorate, Yemen
Result

Ansar al-Sharia victory

  • Destruction of an Army artillery battalion
  • Capture by militants of large quantities of weapons, including heavy ones, among them tanks
Belligerents

ShababFlag.svg Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [1]

Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen

Commanders and leaders
Abu Hamza al-Zinjibari Brig. Gen. Mohammed Ghaleb al Jarabani
Brig. Gen. Abdu Rabbu Hasan Salem
Brig. Gen. Faisal Rajjab
Strength
Unknown 39th Armored Brigade
115th Infantry Brigade
119th Infantry Brigade
Casualties and losses
32 killed (initial battle) [2]
42 killed (subsequent air-strikes) [3] 		187 killed, 135 wounded, [4] 55-73 captured [5]


The Battle of Dofas was a battle during the 2011 Yemeni uprising between forces loyal to Yemeni leader Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of al-Qaeda, during which the militants destroyed an Army artillery battalion of the 39th Armored Brigade in the town of Dofas, which was being used as a main base for artillery support against the militant-held towns of Zinjibar and Jaʿār. [6] [7]

Contents

Background

In May 2011, about 300 Islamic militants attacked and captured the coastal city of Zinjibar (population 20,000). During the takeover of the town, the militants killed five policemen, including a high-ranking officer, and one civilian. Two more soldiers were killed in clashes with militants in Loder. [8] [9]

Over the next few months the military made several attempts to retake the city, but they were all repelled leaving more than 600 dead on both sides. By mid-September 2011, the military halted their attacks on Zinjibar and held positions on its outskirts.

Battle

On 4 March, militants launched an attack against an Army artillery battalion on the outskirts of Zinjibar, in the small town of Dofas, overrunning it and killing 187 soldiers and wounding 135. 32 Al-Qaeda fighters also died during the fighting. The militants attacked the Army base with booby-trapped vehicles and managed to capture armored vehicles, tanks, weapons and munitions. The military reported 55 soldiers were captured while the militant group claimed up to 73 were taken prisoner. The assault started with a diversionary attack on one end of the base, with the main militant force attacking the other end of the compound. Several car bombs were detonated in front of the gates, after which the attackers entered the base, capturing heavy weapons and turning them against the soldiers. The nearby 115th and 119th Brigades, which the artillery was supposed to support, were not able to assist the battalion due to them also being under attack. At one point they were hit by artillery from the battalion base after it had been overrun by the Islamists. Reinforcements from other nearby military bases came too late due to a sandstorm. In the town of Jaʿār, the militants paraded the captured soldiers. In the days following the attack, the military conducted air-strikes against militant positions around Zinjibar which they claimed killed 42 Al-Qaeda fighters. [2] [3] [4] [6] [10] [11] [12]

The Ansar al-Sharia group that took responsibility for the attack is believed to be just a re-branding of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to make it more appealing to the devout rural population. Three days after the attack, the group let a Red Cross team into Jaʿār to treat 12 wounded soldiers and demanded a prisoner exchange with the government. [12]

Aftermath

Attacks continued during the next weeks, including a suicide bombing on 13 March, near al-Bayda that killed four soldiers and left four other critically injured. [13] After this attack militants posted a video in which they announced the capture of yet another soldier, bringing the total number of prisoners they hold to 74. They demanded an agreement to free imprisoned insurgents in exchange for the soldiers.

On 31 March, a large group of militants attacked an Army checkpoint in Lahij Governorate during the night, sparking a battle that left 20 soldiers and 4 insurgents dead. The attackers fled with heavy weapons and at least two tanks. Government forces later called in airstrikes that successfully destroyed one of the captured tanks, killing its three occupants. [14] Another similar attack took place on 9 April, when a base near Lowdar was briefly overrun during a battle where locals had to join the military to help drive the militants out. There were at least 44 people killed, including six civilians, twenty-four insurgents and fourteen soldiers. [15]

Related Research Articles

In its war on terrorism in Yemen, the US government describes Yemen as "an important partner in the global war on terrorism". There have been attacks on civilian targets and tourists, and there was a cargo-plane bomb plot in 2010. Counter-terrorism operations have been conducted by the Yemeni police, the Yemeni military, and the United States Armed Forces.

Abyan Governorate Governorate of Yemen

Abyan is a governorate of Yemen. The Abyan region was historically part of the Fadhli Sultanate. It was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army militant group. Its capital is the city of Zinjibar. This governorate is noted for its agriculture, in particular the cultivation of date palms and animal husbandry.

Zinjibar is a port and coastal town in south-central Yemen, the capital of Zinjibar District and the Abyan Governorate. It is located next to the Wadi Bana in the Abyan Delta. From 1962 to 1967, it was the administrative capital of the Fadhli Sultanate, although the royal residence remained at the former capital of Shuqrah. At the time of the 2004 census, Zinjibar's population numbered 19,879 inhabitants. The town supports a small seaside resort and fishing industry. Cotton grown in the area is brokered in the market.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Militant Sunni Islamist and Islamic terrorist organization

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, abbreviated as AQAP, also known as Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen, is a militant Sunni Islamist terrorist group primarily active in Yemen and Saudi Arabia that is part of the al-Qaeda network. It is considered the most active of al-Qaeda's branches that emerged after the weakening of central leadership. The U.S. government believes AQAP to be the most dangerous al-Qaeda branch. The group established an emirate during the 2011 Yemeni Revolution, which waned in power after foreign interventions in the subsequent Yemeni Civil War.

Jaʽār Town in Abyan Governorate, Yemen

Jaʽar is a small town and capital of Khanfir District in south-western Yemen. One of the largest settlements in the Abyan Governorate, it is located in the south of the Abyan Governorate to the north of Al Kawd and the regional capital of Zinjibar. The town is located about 2 kilometres east of the right bank of the Wadi Bana.

South Yemen insurgency 2009–2014 separatist protests and attacks on government forces

The South Yemen insurgency was a series of protests and attacks on government forces in southern Yemen between 2009 and 2014. Although the violence was blamed on elements within the southern secessionist movement, leaders of the group maintained that their aims of independence were to be achieved through peaceful means, and claimed that attacks were from ordinary citizens in response to the government's provocative actions.

Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen Ongoing conflict

The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, United States, and al-Qaeda-affiliated cells in Yemen. It is a part of the Global War on Terror.

The Battle of Zinjibar was a battle between forces loyal to Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), for control of the town of Zinjibar and its surroundings as part of the wider insurgency in the self-declared Al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen. Many of the Islamist forces operating in Abyan province refer to themselves as Ansar al-Sharia.

2012 Abyan offensive

The 2012 Abyan offensive was an offensive by the Yemeni military against Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in the province of Abyan with the purpose of re-capturing the militant-held towns of Zinjibar and Jaʿār.

The following lists events that happened during 2012 in Yemen.

Fall of Mosul Battle in June 2014 during which ISIL seized control of the city

The Fall of Mosul occurred between 4–10 June 2014, when Islamic State insurgents, initially led by Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, captured Mosul from the Iraqi Army, led by Lieutenant General Mahdi Al-Gharrawi.

United States drone strikes in Yemen started after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, when the US military attacked Islamist militant presence in Yemen, in particular Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula using drone warfare.

The Timeline of the Yemeni Crisis (2011–present) refers to events of the Houthi insurgency in Yemen, the Yemeni Revolution, the Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen and the South Yemen insurgency.

Abyan campaign Campaign of the Yemeni Civil War

The Abyan campaign was a campaign for control of the Abyan Governorate of Yemen, between the Houthis and Yemen Army units loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh on one side, and militiamen and Yemen Army units loyal to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on the other side, supported by jihadists of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The Pro-Hadi Forces recaptured the Abyan Governorate on 11 August, after launching an offensive on pro-Houthi forces in early August.

In early December 2015, two Yemeni towns, Zinjibar and Ja'ar, were captured by the jihadist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). This was the second capture and occupation of Zinjibar during unrest in Yemen. The town was earlier taken by AQAP’s in May 2011 and held until the summer of 2012.

Aden unrest (2015–2019) Conflict in southern Yemen between government, separatists and Islamists

The Aden unrest refers to initially ongoing conflict between Islamist factions, such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's Yemen Branch, against the loyalists of president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and later to conflict between UAE-backed and Saudi-backed factions within the coalition. In 2017, fighting also broke out between factions aligned with different members of the Saudi-led coalition namely Saudi Arabia-backed Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and Al-Islah and UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council and Southern Movement.

Shabwah Governorate offensive Insurgent campaign by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

The Shabwah Governorate offensive is an insurgent campaign by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) forces to take control of Shabwah Governorate during the Yemeni Civil War.

The following is a timeline of the Second Yemeni Civil War, which began in September 2014.

The Hadramaut insurgency was an insurgency in Yemen launched by AQAP and ISIL-YP against forces loyal to president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Abyan conflict Clashes of the Yemeni Civil War

The Abyan conflict was a series of clashes between forces of AQAP loyal to Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, and forces loyal to Southern Movement for the control of Abyan.

References

  1. ↑ "Militants linked to al-Qaeda emboldened in Yemen". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Heavy Yemeni troop losses reported in raid". Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Huge death toll doubles in Yemen 'slaughter'". CNN. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 "AQAP claims responsibility for Yemen attacks". CNN. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "185 Yemeni Troops Slain as Grim Defeat Leads to Calls for Army Shakeup". News From Antiwar.com. 2012-03-07. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 "DETAILS OF ABYAN ATTACKS EMERGE". Yemen Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Map: Forces Operating in South Yemen". Criticalthreats.org. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Al-Qaida kills 5 policemen in S. Yemen". Philstar.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Suspected al Qaeda militants seize Yemeni town". France 24. Archived from the original on 25 March 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120330051020/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0%2C8599%2C2108301%2C00.html. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ "Al-Qaida says it captures 70 Yemeni soldiers in Abyan's battle". News.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Yemen Qaeda-linked group demands prisoner release". Reuters. 2012-03-07. Archived from the original on 2013-12-28. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Suicide bomber kills four Yemeni soldiers". Trust.org. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "Qaeda-linked militants kill at least 20 Yemeni soldiers". Trust.org. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "emen: 44 killed in clashes with al-Qaeda fighters". USATODAY.COM. Retrieved 15 October 2014.

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