Over the weekend, the Hadi loyalists – in coordination with Al-Qaeda and the Saudi-led Coalition Forces – launched a counter-offensive to recapture the several cities they lost to the Yemeni Army’s Republican Guard and their popular committees (most notably by the Houthis) during the latter’s offensive to reclaim the Al-Anad Military Base in the Al-Lahj Governorate of southern Yemen.

The Hadi loyalists and their allies attempted to capture the strategic city of Ta’iz this weekend; however, the assault was repelled by the Yemeni Army and Houthis after the Saudi-backed forces suffered heavy casualties and the loss of many armored vehicles in the process.

According to a battlefield report from a local journalist in southern Yemen, the Houthis forces reportedly killed a prominent senior commander of Al-Qaeda during their failed infiltration into the city of Ta’iz on Saturday.

The report added that the senior Al-Qaeda commander was identified as “‘Abdel-Wahid Al-Bukkari”; this was later confirmed by the terrorist group themselves after several reports surfaced regarding his status in Yemen.

Not much is known about Abdel-Wahid Al-Bukkari’s real identity or his time Yemen, but his status in Al-Qaeda is well-known; especially, after serving on several battlefronts (including Afghanistan and Iraq) for this international terrorist group.