Editing Yemeni Armed Forces (section)

===2011 Yemeni revolution===
{{Main|Yemeni revolution}}
[[File:Yemeni soldiers from the 1st Armoured Division.JPG|thumb|Yemeni soldiers from the 1st Armoured Division on 60th Street in Sana'a, 22 May 2011]]

In March 2011, a month after the beginning of an [[2011 Yemeni uprising|uprising]] against President Saleh's rule, Maj. Gen. [[Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar]], the commander of the 1st Armoured Division, defected to the side of the protesters taking hundreds of troops and several tanks to protect protesting citizens. Rival tanks of the 1st Armoured Division and the [[Republican Guard (Yemen)|Republican Guard]] faced off against each other in Sann'a.<ref>Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar</ref>

The Yemeni Army's 119th Brigade, which had defected to the opposition, launched a joint operation with 31st and 201st Brigades which were still loyal to Saleh and retook the city of [[Zinjibar]] on 10 September from Islamist militants who were exploiting the chaos in the country to expand their influence. The offensive relieved  besieged army units in the process.<ref name=ZiljibarRecapturedCNN>{{cite news|last=Almasmari|first=Hakim|title=Yemen army recaptures provincial capital of Abyan|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/09/10/yemen.siege.zinjibar/index.html?iref=allsearch|work=CNN.com|publisher=CNN|accessdate=10 September 2011|date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110150710/http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/09/10/yemen.siege.zinjibar/index.html?iref=allsearch|archive-date=10 November 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 17 September, at least one rebel soldier was killed in clashes with loyalists in [[Sanaʽa]] near the city's central square, trying to protect the protest camp there from security forces.<ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/dissident-soldier-killed-clash-yemen-army-113255905.html]{{dead link|date=May 2020}}</ref> After anti-government tribesmen overran a loyalist army base north of Sanaʽa on 20 September, capturing 30 soldiers, the government responded with airstrikes killing up to 80 civilians.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204422404576594413336931554?mod=googlenews_wsj |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506040003/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204422404576594413336931554?mod=googlenews_wsj |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-05-06 | title=Yemeni Tribesmen Storm Army Base - WSJ }}</ref>