Al Anad Air Base

Al Anad Air Base is a military airbase in the Lahij Governorate, Yemen.[1] It is the biggest air base in Yemen.[2]

Al Anad Air Base
Lahij Governorate, Yemen
Al Anad Air Base
Location in Yemen
Coordinates13.18°N 44.77°E / 13.18; 44.77
TypeAir Force Base
Airfield information
Elevation274.3 m (900 ft) AMSL

History

The base served as a headquarters for United States intelligence-gathering and counterterrorism operations in southern Yemen until the aftermath of the 2014–15 Yemeni coup d'état, in which the Houthis took control of the Yemeni government and launched a military offensive against the remnants of the Western-backed administration in Aden. In March 2015, the U.S. withdrew its remaining special forces from the base[3] when Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) briefly took over the governornate. Days later, on 25 March, the installation was taken over by Houthi fighters and the 201st Armoured Brigade of the Yemen Army.[4] The following day, forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi shelled the base, causing at least some Houthis to flee.[5]

Loyalist fighters backed by Saudi and UAE ground forces retook the installation on 3 August 2015, with its rebel defenders fleeing to the nearby hills.[6] The recapture came two weeks after the government's victory in the Battle of Aden.[2]

On 31 January 2016 it was reported that a Tochka tactical ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels struck the base killing dozens of Sudanese fighters and new Yemeni recruits.[7]

A Houthi drone penetrated the air base on January 10, 2019, and exploded above a podium where senior army officials were sitting. The head of Yemen Inteligence Agency and six soldiers were killed and some senior officials were injured.[8]

References
  1. "SAUDI ARABIA BEGINS AIRSTRIKES AGAINST HOUTHI REBELS IN YEMEN". ABC 7 Chicago/Associated Press. 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  2. "Yemen's civil war: Raising the stakes". The Economist. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  3. "Sources: U.S. pulling last of its Special Operations forces out of Yemen". CNN. 21 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  4. "AL-SUBAIHI CAPTURED AND LAHJ FALLS AS HOUTHIS MOVE ON ADEN". Yemen Times. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. "Yemen president's forces shell Houthi-held al-Anad base near Aden, some Houthis flee". The Jerusalem Post. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  6. "Yemen Troops Say Ousted Houthi Rebels From Al-Anad Military Base". The Huffington Post. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  7. "Houthis' Ballistic Missile Attack Kills Dozens of Saudi Coalition Personnel". Sputnik News. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  8. "Yemen soldiers killed in Houthi drone attack on base". BBC News. Retrieved 2019-01-21.

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