Shukra (English Shuqrah; Shaqrā’; Shuqrā’; Arabic شُقرة‎) is a small city on the southern coast of Yemen in the governorate of Abyan. It is located about 120 km southeast of Aden, and 60 km from the administrative center of the governorate (the capital of the governorate) Zinjibar.

History
Shukra was the capital of the Fadli Sultanate, which was formed in the 16th century.
Zinjibar was chosen by the British to be the location of the regional administrative headquarters in 1944. Sultan Fadli stayed in Shukra.
Naib and the sultan’s heir, who since 1958 was controlled by the Government of the Fadli Sultanate, was proclaimed sultan by the British in 1962 and was the first to reside in Zinjibar for practical purposes, although the palace, which was the official residence, was located in Shukra. Thus Shukra was the capital until 1962 of the Fadli Sultanate. In 1962, the administrative capital was moved to Zinjibar, but the Sultan’s residence remained in Shukra.

Al-Qaeda era
The Abyan region, along with the city of Aden, is a historical place where the radical Islamist movement, collectively called “Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula”, is developing most consistently, led by the leaders of the former Aden and Abyan Liberation Army.
The transition of the southern regions of Yemen under the control of Islamists and the proclamation of an Islamic emirate in the governorate of Abyan at the end of March 2011 occurred in a situation of collapse of state-power institutions that followed mass protests against the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh (“Revolution in Yemen (2011-2012)”).
The city of Shukra, which is under the control of the al-Qaeda Mujahideen, was captured during fierce battles that unfolded from late May to early June 2011. “Al-Qaeda fighters in the Arabian Peninsula have regained control of the coastal town of Shukra after several days of fighting with government forces,” Hamid Ali, a member of the Salikhov security service, said. According to him, the city was captured by regime troops in July, who, using a new advantageous position, were able to intensify the siege of the emirate’s capital, Abyan Zinjibar.

Al-Qaeda Mujahideen on Wednesday, August 17, 2011, took the southern Yemeni coastal town of Shukra. Salih’s troops resisted the Islamic fighters for a short time. As a result of the battle, they left city. Mujahideen of Al-Qaeda entered Shukra in cars from another city, which is under their control. Thus, Shukra (marked as Shuqra on the map) became a stronghold of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Literally before the capture of Shukra, local punishers seized 7 Muslims and accused them of having links with Al-Qaeda Mujahideen. At the same time, 2 of them were natives of Arabia (the Yemen Post reported, citing sources in the security services of the Yemeni regime). Abdullah Nasir al-Kadani, the head of the security service, confirmed that the arrests took place in the city of Shukra. The remaining 5 Muslims were Yemenis – natives of Abyan and the province of Marib.
Hamid Ali said that due to the difficulties and obstacles of contact with the army in the nearby area, the number of killed and wounded soldiers is not known. Meanwhile, an intelligence member of the Salih regime, on condition of anonymity, said that al-Qaeda mujahideen killed more than 300 soldiers and seized 40 barrels (1 barrel – 158 liters) of gasoline in the last 2 weeks alone.
On April 19, 2012, Yemeni Air Force planes bombarded the city of Shukra, aiming at the residence of Sheikh Tariq al-Fadli.
Sunday 27 May 2012 – 9 pm warship shelling of the village of Ash-Shaka outside the coastal town of Shukra in Abyan, no one was injured.
June 15, 2012. Yemeni government troops managed to take control of the city of Shukra, which is located in the south of the country in the province of Abyan. According to local media, at least 17 militants of the Ansar al-Sharia (Sharia Supporters), which is part of the Yemeni al-Qaeda cell, were killed as a result of armed clashes.The remaining Islamists abandoned their positions and hid in the mountains to the west of the city.As a result, the militants lost an important logistics point through which weapons and reinforcements arrived from other countries.Recall that the Yemeni army launched a large-scale special operation aimed at combating terrorists A month ago, code-named “Determination,” the city of Shukra was the last major al-Qaeda stronghold in Abyan province that government forces captured after the cities of Ja’ar and Zinjibar.

October 12, 2012 – Terrorists attacked a military base located in the city of Shukra. At least 10 soldiers were killed in the attack. government troops and 11 members of al-Qaeda. This was reported on Friday (October 12) by the Israeli media. It also reported 15 wounded soldiers of the Yemeni army. The attack on the base, located on the coast, the terrorists began with the explosion of a car filled with explosives, after which the base was attacked from the sea.