Jaar (Arabic: جعار ''Jaʿār'') is a small town and the capital of

Khanfir District Khanfir District (), Khanfyr District or Khanfar District is a district of the Abyan Governorate, Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia t ...

in southwestern

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. One of the largest settlements in Abyan Governorate, it is located to the north of Al Kawd and the regional capital of

Zinjibar Zinjibar ( ''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 the administrative capit ...

. The town is located about 2 kilometres east of the right bank of the Wadi Bana. Khanfar is a southern suburb of the town, noted for its ceramics and munitions production. On March 28, 2011, the Jaʿār munitions factory exploded there, killing an estimated 150 people. The town was controlled by

Ansar al-Sharia Ansar al-Sharia or Ansar al-Shariah is a name used by a collection of radical or militant Islamist groups or militias, in at least eight countries. While they share names and ideology, they lack a unified command structure. *Ansar al-Sharia (Yemen ...

, a group affiliated with

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

, from March 2011 to June 2012. However, on 12 June 2012, the

Yemeni Army The Yemeni Armed Forces () are the military forces of the Republic of Yemen. They include the Yemeni Army (including the Republican Guard), Yemeni Navy (including the Marines) and the Yemeni Air Force (including the Air Defense Force). Sinc ...

retook control of Jaar along with

. On 2 December 2015, Ansar al-Sharia captured Jaar from Hadi government forces. Zinjibar was also captured the same day. In early May 2016, AQAP fighters withdrew from the city of Zinjibar and Jaar after negotiation with Hadi loyalists. Since then, it has repeatedly withdrawn and returned. On 14 August 2016, the cities were fully captured by pro-government forces who dislodged the militants.

References

External links

Towns and villages in the Abyan Governorate
Populated places in Abyan Governorate Towns in Yemen {{Abyan-geo-stub