Battle of Aden (2015)
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The Battle of Aden was a battle for the control of Aden,
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
, between
Houthis The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...
rebels and
Yemen Army Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and s ...
forces loyal to
Ali Abdullah Saleh Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Ahmar (, ''ʿAlī ʿAbdullāh Ṣāliḥ al-Aḥmar;'' 21 March 1947There is a dispute as to Saleh's date of birth, some saying that it was on 21 March 1942. See: However, by Saleh's own confession, he was born in 1947 al ...
on one side, and
Yemen Army Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and s ...
units loyal to
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi ( ar, عبدربه منصور هادي, translit=ʿAbd Rabbih Manṣūr Hādī Yemeni pronunciation: ; born 1 September 1945) is a Yemeni politician and former field marshal of the Yemeni Armed Forces who served as the pres ...
and
Southern Movement The Southern Movement ( ''al-Ḥirāk al-Janūbiyy''), sometimes known as the Southern Separatist Movement, or South Yemen Movement, or Aden Movement, and colloquially known as al-Hirak, is a political movement and paramilitary organization act ...
militias on the other side. The battle began on 25 March 2015, as pro-Saleh troops seized control of
Aden International Airport Aden International Airport is an international airport in Aden, Yemen and the oldest airport in the Arabian peninsula. Prior to its use as a civil air facility, the aerodrome was known as RAF Khormaksar, which opened in 1917 and closed as an ...
and Hadi fled the country by boat. On 16 July the pro-Hadi forces again seized control of Aden port and were moving into the city's commercial center. On 22 July, pro-Hadi forces had retaken full control of Aden, and the Aden Airport was reopened. In late July, an offensive launched by pro-Hadi forces drove Houthi forces out of the towns neighboring Aden.


Background

The Houthis, allegedly with the support of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, took control of the Yemeni government in a
takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to ...
. President Hadi was placed under virtual house arrest, but after a month, he managed to escape to his hometown of Aden in Yemen's south. After fighting over the airport broke out in Aden on 19 March and
Sana'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gover ...
was hit by a suicide bombing attack the following day, the Houthi Revolutionary Committee formed to govern the country after the coup declared a state of "general mobilisation". With the support of some army elements, the Houthis launched a
military offensive An offensive is a military operation that seeks through an aggressive projection of armed forces to occupy territory, gain an objective or achieve some larger strategic, operational, or tactical goal. Another term for an offensive often used b ...
to take control of the south and defeat Hadi's holdouts. Yemen's third city of
Taiz Taiz ( ar, تَعِزّ, Taʿizz) is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located in the Yemeni Highlands, near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is the capital of Taiz Governorate. With a popula ...
fell with little resistance, followed by
Lahij Lahij or Lahej ( ar, لحج, Laḥj, links=no), also called al-Hawtah, is a city and an area located between Ta'izz and Aden in Yemen. From the 18th to the 20th century, its rulers were of the Abdali branch of the Al-Sallami tribe who trace th ...
and the strategic
Al Anad Air Base Al Anad Air Base is a military airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military ...
north of Aden.


Battle


Fighting begins

On 25 March, fighting spread to Aden, as army units loyal to Saleh captured
Aden International Airport Aden International Airport is an international airport in Aden, Yemen and the oldest airport in the Arabian peninsula. Prior to its use as a civil air facility, the aerodrome was known as RAF Khormaksar, which opened in 1917 and closed as an ...
and a nearby airbase after clashes with pro-Hadi Southern Movement fighters. The airport suspended all flights. Civilians stormed an army base in central Aden in an attempt to seize weapons, leaving five dead and 12 wounded. Houthi fighters pressing from the north reached the outskirts of the port city. Hadi fled Aden by boat. His whereabouts were not known until 26 March, when he landed in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
hours after the kingdom began an air campaign to defeat the Houthis. By 27 March, Houthi and allied army units had encircled Aden, taking control of all land routes into and out of the city. However, warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition began to bedevil the Houthis as they moved their heavy armour and vehicles toward Aden, with airstrikes halting a convoy from
Shuqrah Shuqrah ( ar, شُقْرَة), also Shaqrāʾ ( ar, شَقْرَاء) or Shuqrāʾ ( ar, شُقْرَاء), is a coastal town in southern Yemen. It was the capital of the Fadhli Sultanate until the capital moved to Zinjibar in 1962, although the ...
early on 28 March. Also on 28 March, several people were killed in a series of explosions at an arms depot in Aden, amid looting by residents after the depot's guards abandoned their posts. By this point, the death toll in Aden, since fighting in the city started, had reached 75 people.


Clashes intensify

Clashes in Aden continued on 29 March, as fighting continued in northern Aden and the Houthis pushed into central Aden. Forces loyal to Hadi reportedly retook
Aden International Airport Aden International Airport is an international airport in Aden, Yemen and the oldest airport in the Arabian peninsula. Prior to its use as a civil air facility, the aerodrome was known as RAF Khormaksar, which opened in 1917 and closed as an ...
, with nine Houthi fighters and five pro-Hadi fighters among the dead. The Houthis and Saleh-loyal military units continued their attack on Aden on 30 March, firing artillery and rockets against the city near the Alam roundabout and attempting to advance deeper into it. Houthis fighters reportedly came under fire from
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
ian warships, which shelled their positions from off the southern coast. At least two airstrikes forced them to retreat toward
Zinjibar Zinjibar ( ar, زِنْجِبَار ''Zinjibār'') is a port and coastal town in south-central Yemen, the capital of Zinjibar District and the Abyan Governorate. It is located next to the Wadi Bana in the Abyan Delta. From 1962 to 1967, it was ...
, and the Popular Committees loyal to Hadi held their ground. Saudi planes also struck near
Aden International Airport Aden International Airport is an international airport in Aden, Yemen and the oldest airport in the Arabian peninsula. Prior to its use as a civil air facility, the aerodrome was known as RAF Khormaksar, which opened in 1917 and closed as an ...
. At least 36 were killed by shelling and airstrikes, with 26 dying in artillery fire on the Khormaksar district of Aden, including 10 in a residential building reportedly taken over by fighters loyal to Hadi. Houthi fighters retook parts of
Aden International Airport Aden International Airport is an international airport in Aden, Yemen and the oldest airport in the Arabian peninsula. Prior to its use as a civil air facility, the aerodrome was known as RAF Khormaksar, which opened in 1917 and closed as an ...
and clashed with pro-Hadi fighters across the city on 1 April. Even so, an aide to Hadi expressed confidence that the Aden government could defeat the ground assault without the help of foreign troops if the Houthis' supply lines were cut. Houthi positions at the airport were reportedly shelled by coalition warships. Later, Houthi and allied Army units advanced in a tank column into Aden's Khormaksar district and the city center, where they battled with pro-Hadi troops and local residents for control.


Battle for central districts

The following day, Houthi and allied fighters took control of the central Crater neighbourhood, backed by tanks and armored vehicles. They also took control of the presidential palace, although overnight air raids prompted them to make a tactical withdrawal. The Houthis temporarily retreated from the Crater district as well, losing two tanks and 10 fighters. Coalition planes airdropped weapons and medical aid to Aden's defenders. However, on 5 April, the Houthi advance resumed. The group again retook central neighbourhoods and bombarded others, but were pushed back when they attempted to move toward the city's port. According to a pro-Hadi militia, 36 Houthi and allied fighters were killed in clashes in Aden's Mualla district, while 11 pro-Hadi fighters died. A medic said Houthi snipers took up positions on rooftops in the area. On 6 April, the Houthis and allied army units made their largest push yet, attacking holdouts in the Mualla district. Pro-Hadi fighters claimed three hostile tanks destroyed overnight, but the Houthis deployed additional tanks to the area by morning. Medical facilities in the city were reportedly overwhelmed, bodies cluttered the streets, and a number of buildings were set on fire. The Red Cross warned of a "catastrophic" humanitarian situation as fighting continued. Eighteen died in fighting overnight into 7 April, with 53 killed over the previous 24 hours. Dozens of Houthi fighters and allied troops pushed into the Crater district on 8 April, backed by a tank and two armoured vehicles. Residents said three arms depots under the control of the Houthis or pro-Saleh troops were bombed by aircraft in northern Aden on the same day. Sunni mosques in the city reportedly called residents to '' jihad'' against the city's attackers. The push into Crater was reportedly mostly repulsed by mid-afternoon, and Houthi fighters were also cleared from some northern neighbourhoods. As fighting persisted, Saudi-led coalition warships blasted Houthi positions from offshore on 10 April. The extent of the damage from the naval bombardment was not immediately clear.
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...
reported on 11 April that two
Quds Force The Quds Force ( fa, نیروی قدس, niru-ye qods, Jerusalem Force) is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War ...
officers from
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
were captured in separate districts by militiamen defending the city from the Houthis.
By 13 April, the presidential palace complex was once again under Houthi control, but being hit by air-strikes. On 14 April, after prolonged clashes, Houthi fighters withdrew from Aden's Khormaksar district—the location of the international airport and foreign missions. Coalition warships bombarded Houthi-occupied buildings as fighting raged in the Mualla, Crater, and Buraiga districts on 18 April. Fighting in the Buraiga district centered on control of the city's only
refinery A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value. Types of refineries Different types of refineries ...
. On 17 April, pro-Hadi fighters from Lahj and
Al Anad Air Base Al Anad Air Base is a military airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military ...
launched an assault towards the south and gained ground along the coastline from Houthi and pro-Saleh forces by 19 April, allowing them to assault the airport, which was still in the militants' hands. Pro-Hadi forces also recaptured the Russian consulate and a Hadi residence. As of 20 April, Hadi forces reportedly also seized the airport. On 28 April, Houthi forces, that took up positions at the University of Aden and the hospital in the Khormaksar district, advanced in the area and captured Hadi's family home and the German and Russian consulates. Just north of the peninsula, they also pushed west in an attempt to retake territory previously lost. The next day, the Houthis advanced towards the city center. A large shopping mall in Khormaksar reportedly caught fire amid fighting as the Houthis advanced through the neighbourhood, repulsing counter-attacks there and in the Mualla district. Eyewitnesses told the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
that the Houthi fighters and their allies searched house to house in Khormaksar, dragging some men out onto the street and shooting them, while warning residents by loudspeaker against harbouring anti-Houthi fighters. On 6 May, Houthi forces captured the Tawahi district, but were later reportedly expelled from the area. The fighting killed pro-Hadi Brigadier General Ali Nasser Hadi, who was then replaced by Brigadier General Saif al-Baqri. Houthi shells also struck a boat loaded with refugees attempting to flee Aden on 6 May, killing 40.


Anti-Houthi counteroffensive

On 14 July, pro-Hadi militia in Aden retook Aden International Airport and cleared the Khormaksar district of Houthi rebels following the collapse of a humanitarian truce. As a result, this left the Houthis trapped in the peninsula. By 16 July pro-Hadi forces had retaken large parts of the port area of Mualla near Aden and entered the commercial district of Crater. On July 17, pro-Hadi militias and the government in exile said that they had "liberated" Aden from the Houthis. Despite that, the Houthis still controlled the Eastern and Northern entrances to the city and pockets of fighting were reported. Anti-Houthi forces continued to press on with their offensive by capturing two military bases, one of them in the Lahij Province and the other in the eastern Shabwa province. According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, retreating Houthis killed about 100 people in a single mortar barrage. After the last Houthi forces were driven from the city, the first aircraft to land at Aden’s reopened airport, on July 22, was a Saudi military transport bringing aid, weapons and the commander of the
Saudi navy The Royal Saudi Navy ( ar, البَحْريَّة الْمَلكيَّة السُّعُودِيَّة, Al-Quwwat al-Bahriyah al-Arabiyah as-Su'udiyah) or Royal Saudi Naval Forces ( ar, القُوَّات البَحْريَّة الْمَلك ...
.


Aftermath

On 30 July, anti-Houthi forces launched an offensive outside of Aden and drove the Houthis from Muthalath al-Ilm, the Ya'wala, Al-Basateen, and Qariat al-Falahi neighbourhoods, and clashed with Houthi fighters in the Lahij province. The militias captured more territory from the Houthis on the following day, including the town of Houta with support from the Saudi airstrikes. On 3 August, Hadi loyalists, backed by Saudi and UAE ground forces, advanced to the north of Aden and successfully recaptured the
Al Anad Air Base Al Anad Air Base is a military airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military ...
. Major General
Jaafar Mohammed Saad Major General Jaafar Mohammed Saad ( ar, جعفر محمد سعد; born 1950 – died 6 December 2015) was a Yemeni politician and soldier. Saad was a soldier for South Yemen before unification with North Yemen in 1990. Local officials said he ...
, who played a prominent role in planning the operation that pushed pro-Houthi fighters out of Aden in July, was appointed as
Governor of Aden This is a list of British Empire, British colonial administrators of Aden from the 1839 Aden Expedition to the 1967 withdrawal from Aden. They were appointed from British Raj, British India until 1937 when the Chief Commissioner's Province of ...
in October 2015. However, his tenure proved short-lived; he was assassinated in a bombing allegedly perpetrated by the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
on 6 December 2015.


Combatants

As of 10 April, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' reported, most of Aden's defenders were residents who took up arms against the invaders, forming loosely organised militias to protect their own neighbourhoods. The militiamen include supporters of the separatist
Southern Movement The Southern Movement ( ''al-Ḥirāk al-Janūbiyy''), sometimes known as the Southern Separatist Movement, or South Yemen Movement, or Aden Movement, and colloquially known as al-Hirak, is a political movement and paramilitary organization act ...
. Many of Hadi's loyalists deserted earlier in the battle, after their president fled the country. By contrast, the bulk of the attacking force was composed of troops and militiamen loyal to Saleh, with Houthis making up a minority. Many of the Houthi fighters captured during the fighting reportedly had been told they were in Aden to fight al-Qaeda.


Foreign role


Humanitarian

Several countries moved to evacuate their citizens from Aden as the fighting worsened. China's People's Liberation Army Navy evacuated several hundred, including hundreds of non-Chinese citizens, from Aden in early April. A Turkish frigate also evacuated 55 Turks from the city. The INS ''Mumbai'', an
Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...
destroyer, evacuated 441
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n and other foreign nationals from Aden to
Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
on 4 April. On 8 April, Medecins Sans Frontiers and the
International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
were successful in delivering 2.5 tonnes of medicine and a surgical team, respectively, by boat to Aden. The surgical team was deployed to a local hospital. On 21 July 2015, the first ship carrying aid from the
World Food Programme The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
docked in Aden, carrying enough food to last 180,000 people a month. The ship had waited at sea for four months, unable to dock because of fighting in the port area.


Military

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
ian warships shelled Houthi positions as they advanced on critical points in Aden, and coalition warplanes repeatedly struck the attackers, as well as installations they seized.
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
reportedly inserted special forces troops into Aden, which a Saudi official told
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were "coordinating and guiding" resistance to the Houthis and their allies. The Saudi government declined to officially comment on whether it had commandos on the ground in Aden. On 3 May, a small force of no more than 50 fighters from at least three Arab countries reportedly landed near Aden International Airport and took up arms against troops loyal to Saleh. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition denied that "foreign forces" were in Aden. Hadi's foreign minister said the fighters were Yemeni special forces troops retrained outside the country and sent back into Aden. Anti-Houthi militiamen claimed to have captured an
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian colonel and captain in the
Quds Force The Quds Force ( fa, نیروی قدس, niru-ye qods, Jerusalem Force) is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War ...
, a special division of the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
, during fighting in Aden in April. They said the Iranians were working as "advisors" to the Houthi militias and would be turned over to the coalition.


References

{{Yemen topics 2015 in Yemen Aden Aden Aden Yemeni Crisis (2011–present) 21st century in Aden Aden