Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Aden-Abyan Islamic Army (AAIA, ) is an Islamist militant group based in southern Yemen, led by Zein al-Abideen al-Mehdar (also known as Abu El-Hassan El-Mohader). The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by Bahrain, Canada and the United Kingdom. The group is thought to have organized in southern Yemen in the mid 1990s, with members that include veterans from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Their stated mission is to "promote jihad in the fight against secularism in Yemen and other Arab States; to establish an Islamic government in Yemen".