Senior military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision to purge terrorist groups from the province of Abyan and deploy security forces in cities and districts across the province has been taken once and for all. They added that the battle to rid the province of terrorists will take place shortly and that the coalition will also participate in it.

The sources alluded to the intensive preparations that the military and security forces in Aden have been making for weeks and said that two different forces will participate in the battle. The first force will purge terrorist groups from Abyan and fight against them, and this force will be formed of army troops, People’s Committees and members of the resistance. The second force will install and man security points and control government facilities and protect them. This force will be made up of security belt forces.

The same sources said that Arab coalition forces in Aden will oversee the huge military operation on the ground in which more than 5,000 fighters will participate. 2,000 of these fighters will fight in the battle against the terrorists and 3,000 fighters will maintain security and stability and set up checkpoints.

The sources added that the commander of the People’s Committees in the province of Abyan Abdul Latif Al-Sayyid will accompany military and civilian commanders in the upcoming campaign in which hundreds of soldiers who were trained in Aden months ago will participate.