Leaders of STC, Islah party detained in coalition’s HQ in Aden

ADEN, April 21 (YPA) – Informed political sources revealed on Sunday that Saudi-led coalition has detained a number of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) military leaders inside the coalition camp in the southern port city of Aden.

According to the sources, the commander of Saudi forces in Aden, Mujahid al-Otaibi, directed the detention of a number of the STC military leaders and other leaders of the Islah Party after its arrival from Shaqra coastal city , on Sunday, to the  coalition headquarters in Al-Buraiqa.

The sources confirmed that the Saudi commander al-Otaibi gave the STC 24 hours to implement the Riyadh Agreement regarding the delivery of heavy weapons to Saudi forces.

The sources added that one of the conditions put forward by Saudi Arabia is the withdrawal of transitional militias from the city of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, after taking control in August 2019.

On Friday evening, Islah military leaders announced the launch of the “Battle of The New Dawn” to storm Aden, where Saudi Arabia was quick to give the STC a chance to withdraw from Abyan.

Saudi Arabia sees the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement as an opportunity to remove the STC militias from Aden and the return of the Al-Islah Party’s “presidential protection brigades” in order to secure Aden.

E.M