On March 2 and March 3, 2026, the Al-Malahem media network, affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, published a three-part video glorifying the October 21, 2025, attack on the government compound in Al-Mahfad, Yemen, which houses the headquarters of the First Support and Reinforcement Brigade of the Southern Forces. The footage features previously unseen images of the suicide bombers who participated in the assault, documenting their operational and spiritual preparations.
This attack was conducted as part of Al-Qaeda’s “Arrows of Truth” insurgency campaign, which commenced in September 2022, and is ongoing. The videos depict the suicide bombers, their training, intelligence gathering process, as well as their weapons, and footage of the attack being carried out. While in recent years, AQAP has generally maintained a low-pace insurgency, the group successfully trains suicide bombers and has carried out two unusual SVBIED attacks over the past two years. These videos demonstrate a notable level of operational planning and training, which should be taken into consideration when assessing the AQAP threat and its motivation to carry out attacks beyond the borders of Yemen.
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