Heavy clashes erupt among coalition factions in Shabwa

SHABWA, May 24 (YPA) – Heavy clashes between the Saudi-led coalition factions escalated on Monday in Shabwa province, according to sources.

The local sources in the province indicated that confrontations broke out between the Laqamoush tribes in Hobban district, loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and Islah-affiliated special forces, after the Islah militants imposed a suffocating siege on the tribes for four days.

The sources affirmed that the tribesmen launched an armed attack on Islah military points, using various types of weapons, which led to cutting off supply lines to the militants.

Several of militants were killed and wounded in the clashes, as well as destroying a number of military vehicles.

The sources stated that the Islah militants began creating trenches and military barricades outside Khabar Laqamoush area in preparation for launching a large-scale attack on the tribal militants, for defense of the Islah stronghold in the coastal city of Shakra in Abyan province.

The sources pointed out that the “Shabwani Elite”, affiliated with the STC, backed by the tribes of Himyar, Saad, and Al-Awaliq, have mobilized their fighters to stand with the Laqamoush tribes in the face of the Islah militants.

The STC seeks to transfer the military confrontations from Abyan to the Islah areas in Shabwa, after Islah militants have seized and expelled the Shabwani Elite in August 2019.

AA