Yemen Map of War – Sep. 15, 2015: Saudi-led Coalition Advances to Capture al Jawf and Sa’ada

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The US-backed Saudi coalition advances to capture al Jawf and Sa’ada. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State in Iraq and al Sham continue to increase territorial control and recruitment.

1. September 10, Saudi-led coalition forces launched a new operation to secure Ma’rib and started to prepare to mount operations in al Jawf and Sa’ada. Local sources also reported that several Emirati armored vehicles were transferred from Hadramawt to Ma’rib, signaling a further shift in coalition interests toward Ma’rib of al Jawf and Sa’ada.”
2. September 13, Coalition forces have been attempting to improve the Saudi-controlled Hadi’s government security in Aden by deploying additional troops there. According to reports, a new security plan for the city will be implemented in the next few days. Separately, coalition forces transported several military vehicles and troops between Saudi Arabia and the al Rayyan area along the Ma’rib-al Jawf border.
3. September 13, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government stated that it would not negotiate with the al Houthis in Oman collapsing the recent attempt to solve the crisis by diplomacy. The Saudi forces continued attempts to establish peace in the region by a series of airstrikes in al Bayda.
4. September 14, Saudi fighter jets pounded residential buildings in Dhoran Anas district in the central Dhamar Province, killing 15 and injuring a dozen more.

Hadi’s withdrawal from the talks and the Saudi-led coalition actions in the Ma’rib region indicates that the Saudi Arabia and its partners are determined to continue the hot war in Yemen. The next targets of the US-backed forces are al Jawf and Sa’ada. In the case of success, the Saudi-led coalition will launch an offensive in the direction of Sana’a.

AQAP portraits itself as a key part of the anti-al Houthi coalition and seeks to participate in Yemen’s post-conflict government. For instance, AQAP senior member Khalid Batarfi asserted that AQAP’s support for the anti-al Houthi coalition and the Hadhrami Domestic Council should justify the mujahideen’s inclusion in local governance projects in a September 4 interview.  Thus, AQAP terrorist networks will likely become a legitimate part of the “post-Houthi” Yemen (in case if Saudi Arabia will win).

ISIS increased recruitment and a military strength in al Bayda. The ISIS Wilayat Hadramawt media office released a photoset that featured ISIS militants conducting different military training exercises. In fact, the ISIS media outlets produce a lot of propaganda content to increase its soft power in the region.