Al Anad Air Base

Al Anad Air Base
قاعدة العند الجوية
Lahij Governorate in Yemen
Al Anad Air Base is located in Yemen
Al Anad Air Base
Al Anad Air Base
Shown within Yemen
Coordinates13°10′34″N 44°45′44″E / 13.17611°N 44.76222°E / 13.17611; 44.76222
TypeAir Base
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defense (Yemen)
OperatorYemeni Air Force
Site history
Built1976 (1976)[1]
In use1976 - present
Airfield information
Elevation274 metres (899 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
07/25 2,880 metres (9,449 ft) Asphalt

Al Anad Air Base is a military air base in the Lahij Governorate, Yemen.[2] It is the biggest air base in Yemen.[3]

History

The base was built by the Soviet Union for South Yemen during the Cold War.[4]

The base witnessed fierce battles during the 1994 Yemeni Civil War as it was one of the key entry points to Aden.[5]

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[6] 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.[7] The following day, forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi shelled the base, causing at least some Houthis to flee.[8]

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.[9] The recapture came two weeks after the government's victory in the Battle of Aden.[3]

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 Yemeni recruits.[10]

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 Intelligence Agency and six soldiers were killed and some senior officials were injured.[11]

A major attack occurred on August 29, 2021, when Houthis militants attacked the base with drones and ballistic missiles, killing 30 soldiers and wounding 60 more.[12] Later the death toll increased to more than 40 killed.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Al Anad Air Base". Archived from the original on 2016-03-06.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ a b "Yemen's civil war: Raising the stakes". The Economist. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  4. ^ "Rebel drone kills 6 loyalists at biggest Yemen airbase". Yahoo! News. AFP. 10 January 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-01-10. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  5. ^ "SOUTH YEMEN FORMALLY QUITS NORTH". Washington Post. 21 May 1994. Retrieved 15 August 2021.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Sources: U.S. pulling last of its Special Operations forces out of Yemen". CNN. 21 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  7. ^ "AL-SUBAIHI CAPTURED AND LAHJ FALLS AS HOUTHIS MOVE ON ADEN". Yemen Times. 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "Yemen Troops Say Ousted Houthi Rebels From Al-Anad Military Base". The Huffington Post. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  10. ^ "Use of Mercenaries by the Saudi-led Coalition to Violate Human Rights in Yemen and Impede the Exercise of the Yemeni People's Right to Self-determination". Arabian Right Watch Association. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Yemen soldiers killed in Houthi drone attack on base". BBC News. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  12. ^ "Dozens killed in Houthi attack on Yemen's largest base". Al Jazeera. 29 August 2021.
  13. ^ "At least 40 killed in drone and missiles attack at pro Saudi Base". Hodhod News. 31 August 2021.