Battle of Zinjibar (2011–2012)

Battle of Zinjibar; معركة زنجبار
	Part of the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen, the Yemeni revolution and the Yemeni crisis
	; Yemeni soldiers entering the provincial government headquarters in Zinjibar on 12 June 2012
Date	27 May 2011 – 12 June 2012; (1 year, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Location	Zinjibar and surrounding areas, Abyan Governorate, Yemen13°07′43″N 45°22′50″E / 13.128612°N 45.380479°E
Result	Yemeni government victory Ansar al-Sharia captures city in late May 2011 and besieges a local army brigade; Army-tribal offensive from mid-July to September 2011 lifts the siege and captures eastern portion of the city; Army-tribal offensive from May to June 2012 leads to complete capture of the city;
Belligerents
Yemen; Supported by:; United States; Saudi Arabia	Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Ansar al-Sharia; ; ;
Commanders and leaders
Mahdi Maqula (Southern Military Region commander until March 2012); Salem Ali Qatan (Southern Military Region commander after March 2012); Mohammed al-Sawmali	Nasir al-Wuhayshi; Jalal Baleedi; Qasim al-Raymi; Said Ali al-Shihri
Units involved
Yemeni Armed Forces Yemeni Land Forces Southern Military Region 25th Mechanized Brigade; 31st Armoured Brigade; 39th Armoured Brigade; 111th Infantry Brigade; 115th Infantry Brigade; 119th Infantry Brigade; 135th Infantry Brigade; 201st Mechanized Brigade; ; Republican Guard; ; Yemeni Air Force; Yemeni Navy; ; Ministry of Interior Central Security Organization Central Security Forces; Counter-Terrorism Unit; ; ; Popular Committees;	Military of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Strength
June 2011:; 2,000 soldiers (25th Mechanized Brigade); May 2012:; 20,000 soldiers	May 2011:; 300 fighters; January 2012:; 700–1,000 fighters; May 2012:; 2,000 fighters
Casualties and losses
1,000+ soldiers killed	600+ fighters killed
	60,842 displaced

The Battle of Zinjibar was a battle between forces loyal to Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), for control of the town of Zinjibar and its surroundings as part of the wider insurgency in the self-declared Al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen. Many of the Islamist forces operating in Abyan province refer to themselves as Ansar al-Sharia ("Partisans of Sharia").