Commander injured in military base attack in Yemen's Hadramawt

General Abdul Kareem al-Zumha was among those wounded in the attack that rocked al-Batinah in the al-Qutn directorate.

A chief security guard as well as lower-ranked soldiers stationed at the centre were also injured in the attack, a military source told The New Arab.

Hadramawt is divided between two military regions, the first of which covering the valley and desert while the second includes the coastal areas of Mukalla city.

Pro-government forces, backed by the Arab coalition involved in the conflict, launched a major operation to liberate southern provinces from al-Qaeda last month.

On May 6, al-Qaeda militants began an operation to withdraw from two cities in Yemen's southern Abyan province following tribal mediation to spare destruction.

Pressure from locals who wanted to spare their Zinjibar and Jaar, as well as homes from destruction forced tribal leaders to mediate and arrive at an appropriate resolution, a tribal elder suggested.

The departure comes just days after a similar withdrawal freed the port city of Mukalla of al-Qaeda militants more than a year after they seized control.

The fighters ascended upon Mukalla on April 24, forcing militants to withdraw from the city in just a few hours.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – Yemen's branch of the group – allegedly withdrew from the city to save it from destruction and bloodshed, debunking claims by the Saudi-led coalition suggesting a fierce battle killed 800 militants. 

AQAP allegedly earned an estimated $2 million a day in revenue from port taxes and fuel smuggling in Mukalla, a city of about 500,000 citizens.