STC reples Hadi’s forces attack in Abyan

ABYAN, Dec. 5 (YPA) – A spokesman for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) militias   on Saturday repelled an offensive carried out by Hadi and Islah militants on the city of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province.

Mohammed al-Naqib said that his forces were able to break an “infiltration attempt” of Hadi’s forces in Al-Tariya and inflict heavy losses on them.

Pro-STC activists confirmed that three leaders, Ali Qasim Shribeh al-Halimi, Mohammed Hussein Al-Yahri and Abbas al-Sanja, were killed in the confrontations.

This coincides with the intensification of fighting on all fronts.

The STC has been under going through a major drain since the Riyadh accord was signed in November last year.

Meanwhile, Hadi government claimed that its forces have made a new progress in the STC’s main stronghold.

In the past few hours, Hadi forces had taken control over Medefin and al-Sarari Mountains near the al-Makhzen area of the city of Ja’ar, according to local sources.

Recent developments suggest that Saudi Arabia has given Hadi the light to advance toward Aden on a deal he made with Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman that included legalizing a long-term Saudi presence in Mahrah in exchange for a breaking the STC in Aden.

E.M