Sukra (city)

Sultanate of Faldi .

Sukra was the capital of the Fadli Sultanate, formed in the 16th century .

Zinjibar was chosen by the British for the location of the regional administrative headquarters in 1944 . Sultan Fadli remained in Sukra.

Naib and the heir to the Sultan, who had been controlled by the Government of the Fadli Sultanate since 1958 , was proclaimed the Sultan by the British in 1962 and was the first to live in Zinjibar for practical purposes, although the palace, which was the official residence, was located in Sukra. Thus, Sukra was the capital until 1962 . Sultanate Fadli ^[2] In 1962, the administrative capital was moved to Zinjibar , ^[3] but the residence of the Sultan remained in Shukra.

The times of al-Qaeda .

The Abyan region, along with the city of Aden , is a historical place where the radical Islamist movement, which has received the generalized name “Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula” , headed by the leaders of the former “Aden and Abyan Liberation Army” ^[4] , is developing most consistently.

The transition of the southern regions of Yemen to Islamist control and their proclamation of the Islamic emirate in Abyan governorate at the end of March 2011 occurred in the situation of the collapse of state-power institutions following the mass protests against the regime of President Ali Abdallah Saleh (“The Revolution in Yemen (2011-2012) ").

• The city of Sukra, controlled by al-Qaeda Mujahideen, was captured during fierce battles that unfolded from late May to early June 2011 . “Al Qaeda militants on the Arabian Peninsula regained control of the coastal city of Sukra after several days of fighting with government forces,” said Hamid Ali, a member of the Salih security service. According to him, the city was captured by the regime’s troops in July, which, using a new advantageous position, were able to strengthen the siege of the capital of the emirate Abyan Zinjibar . ^[five]

Al-Qaeda Mujahideen on Wednesday, August 17, 2011, took the southern Yemen coastal city of Sukra. Salih’s troops resisted the Islamic fighters for a short time. As a result of the battle, they left the city. Mujahideen of al-Qaeda entered Shukra by car from another city that is under their control. Thus, Sukra (indicated on the map as Shuqra) became the stronghold of al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula. ^[five]

Literally before the capture of Shukra, local punishers seized 7 Muslims and accused them of having connections with Al-Qaeda Mujahideen . At the same time, 2 of them were natives of Arabia (reported by the "Yemen Post" with reference to sources in the security services of the Yemeni regime). Abdu-Llah Nasyr al-Kadani, the leader of the security service, confirmed that the arrests took place in the city of Sukra. The remaining 5 Muslims were Yemenis - natives of Abyan and the province of Marib . ^[five]

Hamid Ali said that in view of the difficulties and obstacles to contacts with the army in the nearby area, the number of soldiers killed and wounded is not known. Meanwhile, a member of the Salih regime’s intelligence, on condition of anonymity, said that al-Qaeda Mujahideen have destroyed more than 300 soldiers and seized 40 barrels (1 barrel - 158 liters) of gasoline over the past 2 weeks. ^[five]

• On April 19, 2012, Yemeni Air Force aircraft fired on the city of Sukra, aiming at the residence of Sheikh Tarik al-Fadli ^[6] .

• May 27, 2012 , Sunday - Shelling at 9 p.m. with a warship of the village of Al-Shak outside the coastal city of Shukra in Abyan , there were no casualties. ^[7]

• June 15, 2012 . Yemeni government forces managed to take control of the city of Shukra, which is located in the south of the country in the province of Abyan . According to local media, as a result of armed clashes, at least 17 fighters of the Ansar al-Sharia group (Sharia supporters) were killed , which is part of the Al-Qaeda Yemeni cell. " ^{[5] [8] [9]} The remaining Islamists abandoned their positions and hid in the mountains west of the city. As a result, the militants lost an important logistics point through which Weapons and reinforcements arrived from other countries. ^[9] Recall that the Yemeni army launched a large-scale special operation aimed at combating terrorists a month ago. This operation was codenamed "Resolve . " ^[10] The city of Sukra was the last major stronghold of al-Qaeda. » In the province of Abyan , koto The first government troops were captured after the cities of Jaar and Zinjibar . ^[11]

• October 12, 2012 - Terrorists attacked a military base located in the city of Sukra. The attack killed at least 10 government troops and 11 al-Qaeda members . This was reported on Friday (October 12) by Israeli media. Also reported about 15 wounded soldiers of the army of Yemen. The attack on the base located on the coast, the terrorists began by blowing up a car stuffed with explosives, after which an attack was made on the base from the sea. ^[12]