Defeating IS in Yemen
While the Islamic State has faced major defeats in Iraq and Syria, the protracted war in Yemen has provided the terrorist group's branch in that country oxygen to breathe.
The enemies of the Islamic State (IS) have achieved major victories over the Islamist militant group this year in Iraq and Syria, capturing its onetime strongholds in both countries, albeit through ruthless military campaigns that entailed high civilian death tolls and the decimation of ancient cities. In Yemen, however, the situation is different. The local IS branch — IS-Yemen — is displaying stronger capabilities and greater influence through continued exploitation of Yemen’s state collapse, civil war and humanitarian disaster.
As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) seeks to assert a more influential hand in southern Yemen, IS-Yemen’s recent violence is increasingly directed against Abu Dhabi. The UAE finances and manages the Security Belt Forces that mainly operate in Aden, Lahjh, Abyan and Yemen’s other southern governorates. They have fought IS-Yemen, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the local Muslim Brotherhood branch, which Abu Dhabi sees as extremist threats.
