Al Kawd is a town in southwestern Yemen, near Zinjibar. It is located in Abyan Governorate and lies on the Gulf of Aden, approximately 40 kilometres by road east of Aden. The Wadi Bana, a major river, flows into the sea to the east of the town.

History

On May 19-20, 1994, during the 1994 civil war in Yemen, rebel planes dropped two bombs near the cemetery in al-Kawd, killing four boys. On November 15, fighters loyal to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took over the town, a key part of the Battle of Zinjibar. Yemeni troops recaptured the town on August 14, 2016. In 2019, the Security Belt Forces, a paramilitary aligned with the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, dislodged an estimated 350 pro-government forces from a military camp in Al Kawd, leading to four deaths. As of 2023, the Southern Transitional Council controls much of Abyan Governorate, including Al Kawd.