At least 25 fighters loyal to the Shi’ite Houthi movement were killed today, and scores of others were reported wounded when a suicide car bomber drove into a security post in the Shabwa Province.
The attack was said to have been carried out by a bomber from the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) faction, and the Houthis say AQAP has been urging its fighters to join the remnants of the Hadi government, itself being backed by a Saudi war.
The Shabwa Province, and the Bayhan District where today’s attack took place, are the “oil rich” part of Yemen’s southwest. Oil-rich is a relative term, however, as while this is one of the few producing regions within Yemen, it isn’t much by regional standards.
The Houthis have recently taken the predominantly Sunni region, which has for years had a significant AQAP contingent among its tribal factions. Thousands of Houthis fighters are now in the province, mostly controlling the main roads in and out.
