Yemen vs Al Quaeda

Years 2009 2012 Battle deaths 3,669 Since 2009, the government has been engaged in an armed conflict over government with the al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).In 2012, the armed conflict between the government of Yemen and AQAP escalated drastically. In May, the Yemeni military launched a large scale offensive in order to regain control of the areas captured by AQAP in 2011. The army, heavily supported by local tribes, pushed AQAP on the defensive and ousted the group from the captured areas, including the important port city Zinjibar. Following the intensive fighting, AQAP made a strategic shift and focused more on high profile assassinations and hit and run attacks.