Eight soldiers have been killed in initial reports of clashes between the Giants Brigades and the Security Belt forces in the Modya district of Abyan Governorate, southern Yemen. This latest outbreak of violence comes just two days after a bombing attack on a military barracks in the same district, which resulted in numerous casualties.

Military sources told Barran Press that the clashes erupted between fighters affiliated with the Giants Brigades and those belonging to the Security Belt, which is under the control of the Southern Transitional Council. The fighting resulted in the deaths of five Giants Brigades soldiers and three Security Belt fighters, including a commander. Additional casualties were reported on both sides.

Among the deceased was Hussein Al-Rabdh, the commander of the Security Belt in the Mahfad district of Abyan. The clashes reportedly began after a Security Belt checkpoint mistook a Giants Brigades military vehicle for a hostile target in the Al-Qouz area, located between the Modya district of Abyan and the Sa'id district of Shabwa Governorate.

The forces involved in the clashes are part of the "East Arrows" operations, which launched in January 2023 and involve other military forces from the Abyan axis and security agencies in the governorate. The operation aims to combat Al-Qaeda in the region.

On Friday, August 16, the Southern Transitional Council confirmed the deaths of 16 of its soldiers in a suicide bombing attack on a military barracks in Abyan.

The Transitional Council's spokesperson, Mohammed Al-Naqib, stated that a "terrorist attack using a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber targeted a barracks of our forces in the Modya district of Abyan Governorate."

Later that day, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for the attack. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist media and is based in the United States, reported that AQAP stated that a "fighter detonated a car bomb at the military site."