By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2024-08-22

ADEN -- In the aftermath of one of the deadliest suicide attacks in southern Yemen in months, officials and analysts warned that al-Qaeda is regaining strength in the area with at least tacit support from the Iran-backed Houthis.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed an August 16 attack in Abyan province's Mudiyah district, in which an explosive-laden vehicle targeted a Southern Transitional Council (STC) military post.

At least 16 members of the separatist group were killed and 18 others were wounded, said STC spokesman Mohammed al-Naqib.

Some immediately pointed to the extremist group's collusion with the Houthis, who despite very different ideologies share some common goals -- and enemies -- including the STC and Yemeni armed forces.

They noted that the Houthis' main sponsor, the Iranian regime, is hosting al-Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel.

Yemeni Minister of Interior Ibrahim Haidan said the attack "bears the hallmarks of the Houthis and indicates their collaboration with the terrorist al-Qaeda organization." He accused the Iranian regime of exporting terrorism to Yemen.

The United States has succeeded in weakening al-Qaeda and drying up its sources of funding, but the group continues to pose a threat in Yemen.

"Abyan and the southern provinces have paid the price with the blood of their best sons in our battle against terrorist groups," said Presidential Command Council member Abdullah al-Alimi.

Extremist groups such as al-Qaeda are "the other face of Houthi-Iranian terrorism," he said, adding that "they work with clear collusion and coordination."

Al-Qaeda regaining strength

"Al-Qaeda's strategy has shifted from forming scattered cells to establishing full-fledged encampments in Abyan," political analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Fassel.

"Al-Qaeda elements are exploiting their proximity to Houthi-controlled al-Bayda province to move, hide and obtain weapons and supplies," he said.

In the past, al-Qaeda used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) in its attacks against Yemeni forces, Ahmed said.

The use of a car bomb is "a dangerous development that reveals the group's ability to recruit young suicide bombers, and this indicates that al-Qaeda has begun to regain its strength with support from Iran and the Houthis," he said.

"The Iranian-Houthi collusion with al-Qaeda and the continued presence of al-Qaeda's leadership in Iran, through Saif al-Adel, make the group seem like one of Iran's tools," he added.

Al-Qaeda has obtained drones that use technology "possessed only by Iran and its followers," he added, pointing out that the Houthis have released al-Qaeda leaders from prisons in Sanaa.

The cessation of al-Qaeda operations in Houthi-controlled areas further confirms the strategic relationship between the two, he added.