First Battle of Al Mukalla

Battle of Mukalla (2015)
Part of the Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
Date 2–16 April 2015 (2 weeks) Location Mukalla, Yemen 14°32′00″N 49°08′00″E / 14.533333°N 49.133333°E / 14.533333; 49.133333 Result Major AQAP victory
Belligerents
Al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen AQAP	Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance	Yemen Army People's Committees Popular resistance
Commanders and leaders
Khalid Batarfi	Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
1+ killed	1+ killed	7+ killed
2+ civilians killed
Location within Yemen

Al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen

Yemen Army

The Battle of Mukalla (2015) was a battle between al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, local tribesmen, and the Yemen Army for control of the coastal city of Mukalla, Yemen.

Al-Qaeda fighters entered Mukalla on 2 April 2015, seizing control of several government buildings, including a presidential palace. They attacked the city's central prison with rocket-propelled grenades, freeing 300 inmates, including a number of captured militants. They also attacked the local branch of the central bank. The group reportedly faced little resistance as it took control of the city. The last remaining Yemen Army troops were driven out by mortar fire on 3 April, as the militants occupying the city consolidated their grip. One of the leading al-Qaeda prisoners sprung from prison, Khalid Batarfi, posed for pictures disseminated through social media in the Mukalla presidential palace.

The Washington Post compared the prison break to the escape of 23 jihadists, including future AQAP emir Nasir al-Wuhayshi, from a Saudi prison in 2006, a formative event for the group.